Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has suggested that Raphael Varane picked up an injury during his side’s 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest.
Goals from Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes were enough to complete a sensational comeback after Forest scored two goals in the opening four minutes of the game.
During the interval, Varane was taken off and replaced by Victor Lindelof.
Lindelof came in and slotted in next to Lisandro Martinez, where he was solid and helped shore up the backline.
After the game, Ten Hag was questioned about why Varane had to be taken off. The Dutchman said, “He had complaints. We didn’t want to risk him. I don’t know if it is bad. We have to wait.”
Erik ten Hag on Varane: "He had complaints. We didn’t want to risk him. I don’t know if it is bad. We have to wait."
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) August 26, 2023
The United boss also praised his team’s resilience and the character they showed to overturn the result.
“Horror start, but the character of the team was brilliant. We stayed so calm and so composed. We stuck to our belief, stuck to our plan, played some good football and scored three good goals. It was a great comeback.”
Ten Hag: "It was a horrific start, but the character of the team was brilliant. We stayed so calm and so composed. We stuck to our belief, stuck to our plan, played some good football and scored three good goals. It was a great comeback." [@BBCSport]
— The Peoples Person (@_peoplesperson_) August 26, 2023
“With all respect to Forest, we can’t allow them [those goals]. They were easy give-aways. It’s crazy,” he said.
“Sometimes games go like this. As I said, we stayed calm. It’s a marker, absolutely. We’ve seen this team can bounce back. If you have such a start, you need to get over it.”
Ten Hag: "Sometimes games go like this. As I said, we stayed calm. It’s a marker, absolutely. We’ve seen this team can bounce back. If you have such a start, you need to get over it." [@BBCMOTD]
— The Peoples Person (@_peoplesperson_) August 26, 2023
Ten Hag also took issue with Forest’s time-wasting and how this particular tactic was not given the appropriate response or punishment by the referee.
He explained that Steve Cooper’s men were intent on running the clock down from the start and at times, were getting rewarded for it.
For Ten Hag and United, attention now shifts to the next game against Arsenal at the Emirates next Sunday.