Man Utd coach Erik ten Hag finally speaks out and reveals the reason why he changed Manchester United player positions vs Aston Villa and secure the win

Marcus Rashford was replaced by Scott McTominay, but it wasn’t a simple switch for Manchester United against Aston Villa.

As part of their tactics change that led to Scott McTominay’s game-winning goal against Aston Villa, Manchester United wanted to make Alejandro Garnacho more dangerous on the inside. Marcus Rashford was replaced by McTominay in the 73rd minute. Thirteen minutes later, he rose to head in the game-winning goal, giving United their fourth straight win.

Erik ten Hag may have been being more practical when he chose a midfielder over a winger, but McTominay played behind striker Rasmus Hojlund while Bruno Fernandes moved to the right side and Garnacho to the left.

“Alejandro from the right was playing a lot inside, which was part of our plan,” Ten Hag said. “So Bruno is a good fit for that part; he’s good at it.” You can also count on him to defend, and we know that he works well with Diogo and Kobbie.

Ten Hag has said many times that United can beat any team. He used their efforts in the 3-1 loss at Arsenal on the road in September and the 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield in December as examples.

He also said, “We can beat any team at home or away, but sometimes we have to believe it more when we’re away. We could have won at Arsenal, where we deserved to win.”

“We looked at it, we could have done more like we pressed in the first 20 minutes and by making better decisions on the ball,” Ten Hag said. “We always went for the goal instead of keeping the ball.”

“We’re ahead 1-0, and when you can’t score, you have to figure out what to do, keep the ball, drag them out, and wait for the right time to speed up.” They were smart, because they read the game.

United won their first away game against a top-eight Premier League team since October 2021. United only needs two more away wins to match their eight-win total from last season, though the way they won at Villa Park was fortunate.

United only had five shots on goal, while Villa had ten. Andre Onana’s goal was in great shape until Douglas Luiz tied the game in the 66th minute. “We could have won in Liverpool, it is about belief and this team today believed they could win this game and that’s why in the end we win this game.”