Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag heaped praise on Luke Shaw as he explained why he was selected ahead of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof to start in central defence against Barcelona.
Ten Hag made three changes to his starting line-up for the trip to the Camp Nou. In defence, Aaron Wan-Bissaka came in for Diogo Dalot at right-back while Raphael Varane was restored to the team in place of Harry Maguire – with Luke Shaw starting again in the heart of the defence, with Tyrell Malacia at left-back, due to Lisandro Martinez’s suspension.
Ten Hag explained of his defence selection to BT Sport ahead of the game: “Luke Shaw is proactive and we have to go forward. Tyrell Malacia has to push Raphinha back and then Shaw has to come in, dictate and take the initiative. I push them a lot to do this and he is capable of it.
