Manchester United kick off their Europa League campaign on Wednesday night and Erik ten Hag has some big decisions to make.
The Red Devils will start the first of eight Europa League fixtures with a clash against Twente at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag started and ended his playing career with the Dutch outfit, and he will now be on the sidelines to face them as Manchester United manager.
The Europa League clash will take place on a Wednesday instead of the usual Thursday slot with the competition now under a new format which includes 36 teams competing in a league system before entering the knockout stages.
After three games in the space of a week against Southampton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace, Ten Hag will likely rotate his lineup on Wednesday evening.
Diogo Dalot must be rested vs Twente
Starting the Europa League campaign with a win and bouncing back from the frustrating draw against Crystal Palace is important, but so is avoiding key injuries.
After being plagued by injuries last season – especially in defence – Ten Hag cannot afford to risk Diogo Dalot on Wednesday evening.
The Portuguese full-back has been filling in at left-back this season with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both out injured.
The improvement he has shown in recent years makes ‘brilliant’ Dalot one of Ten Hag’s biggest success stories since he became United manager.
However, Ten Hag must carefully manage his workload. Dalot is the only United player to start all of the seven matches this season – all five Premier League games as well as the League Cup and Community Shield matches.
He has played more minutes (603) than anyone else in the squad. The only instance he has been withdrawn is after an hour against Barnsley.
Ten Hag can simply not afford to lose Dalot to an injury while he is in such strong form. With a Premier League clash against Tottenham on the horizon, he should be given the night off to rest and recover.
Erik ten Hag should give Harry Amass an opportunity
The issue with dropping Dalot entirely is that neither Shaw nor Malacia are ready to play a full 90 minutes against Twente.
Toby Collyer impressed in a left-back role against Barnsley last week and he is a plausible option against Twente, but it is also a great opportunity for Ten Hag to test Harry Amass.
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Amass shone in the pre-season tour this summer and has been included in United’s 25-man Europa League squad.
Unlike Collyer, Amass is a specialist at left-back and deserves his shot in the first team. After denying him the chance against Barnsley, the 17-year-old should be given the call-up against Twente.
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