Paul Scholes believes Erik ten Hag has turned to Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans because they’re better on the ball than Raphael Varane, whom the Manchester United manager cannot rely upon.
The Frenchman was United’s first choice centre-back when fit last season, but has surprisingly lost his place to Evans this term after the 35-year-old returned to Old Trafford on a free transfer in the summer.
The Northern Irishman has started the last four Premier League games ahead of Varane and was given the nod on Wednesday night, as United lost 4-3 to Copenhagen in the Champions League.
Maguire, meanwhile, lost his place in the starting XI last season and was on the verge of leaving the club after being stripped of the captaincy in the summer.
The England international eventually remained at Old Trafford after a move to West Ham broke down and has since forced his way back into the team because of Lisandro Martinez‘s injury.
Paul Scholes believes Erik ten Hag has turned to Harry Maguire (left) and Jonny Evans (right) because they’re better on the ball than Raphael Varane
Ten Hag has picked Evans and Maguire as his starting centre-backs in four of the last five matches in the Premier League and the Champions League
Up until this season, Maguire and Evans last started a game together for Leicester in December 2019 and Scholes suggested ten Hag’s reliance on the pair was worrying for United.
‘I actually think he’s playing Maguire and Evans at centre-half because he thinks they’re the two best ball-playing centre-halves,’ the former United midfielder told TNT Sports.
‘Which in itself is a bit of a worry.’
So far this season, United have conceded 16 goals in 11 Premier League matches and 11 in their four Champions League outings.
Scholes suggested the defensive frailty could be traced back to injuries that have deprived ten Hag of his first-choice options so far this season.
Luke Shaw last played in the defeat to Tottenham on August 19, while Martinez has been out since mid-September and won’t return before Christmas after undergoing surgery to address a foot injury.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka missed over a month because of a hamstring injury and Victor Lindelof was unavailable over the weekend because of illness.
To compound ten Hag’s problems, Scholes suggested the Dutchman cannot rely on experienced players such as Varane and Casemiro, who have both underwhelmed so far this season.
Varane was United’s first-choice centre-back alongside Lisandro Martinez last season
Scholes believes ten Hag has realised he cannot rely on Varane this season
Evans was forced off with an injury after just 15 minutes as United lost to Copenhagen
‘How can he [ten Hag] pick a settled back four?’ Scholes said.
‘We saw Varane play against Galatasaray and he was all over the place.
‘Even Casemiro when he played he looked a bit loose and not playing his position well.
‘These are two players who have won the European Cup five times [Varane has won it on four occasions], if you can’t rely on these type of players, where do you go?
‘You can see where he’s gone, back to Jonny Evans who was a free transfer!’
Varane came on to replace Evans after the latter was forced off with an injury 15 minutes into the game on Wednesday night and could keep his place when United host Luton on Saturday.
