Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says Harry Maguire is “playing like we want him to” after a man-of-the-match performance in the 2-1 win at Sheffield United.

Maguire started his second successive Premier League game and stood out against his former club at Bramall Lane as the Red Devils marked the death of Sir Bobby Charlton with three points.

The England centre-half’s career at Old Trafford appeared to be over after he was stripped of the captaincy and allowed to explore the possibility of signing for West Ham in the summer, but he was always committed to regaining Ten Hag’s favour.

He looks to be doing that now, with the Dutchman impressed by his Bramall Lane performance.

“I have to say Harry is playing like we want him to play,” he said.

“Very proactive out of possession, dominating his opponent, stepping in when necessary, reading the game, good covering but also in possession very proactive, stepping in, delivering good passes, switching, yes, I am happy with his performance.”

The Red Devils hardly put in a fitting performance to remember Charlton by but they got the job done against a team who are yet to win this season.

They went ahead against the run of play when Scott McTominay scored his third goal in two games but Oli McBurnie’s penalty quickly levelled for the Blades before the break.

Ten Hag’s men improved after the interval and won it in the 77th minute through Diogo Dalot’s curling effort.

A long season is on the cards for the Blades, who have taken just one point from their opening nine games of the season.

They have been hit hard by injuries, losing captain John Egan and vice-captain Chris Basham to serious knocks, and they suffered more bad news on that front.

Anel Ahmedhodzic missed out with a hamstring injury, while McBurnie limped off with a groin problem.

On Ahmedhodzic, boss Paul Heckingbottom said: “It’s his hamstring. He jumped for a header in training and hurt his hamstring. He’s had a scan. It will be weeks.”

“Oli’s groin started impacting him. It was sore at half-time and we tried taping it up but you could see it was impacting him running.

“We had to bring him off because he was hindered by that but also to protect him as well.”

Erik ten Hag admitted Manchester United’s first-half performance in their 2-1 win at Sheffield United was not a fitting way to remember Sir Bobby Charlton.

United are mourning one of their greatest ever players following Charlton’s death aged 86 on Saturday morning and goals from Scott McTominay and Diogo Dalot ensured they remembered him with victory.

But Ten Hag’s side could not be much further away from the one that Charlton famously led to European Cup glory in 1968 as they were lacklustre against a team who have picked up just one point this season.

Defender Dalot was the unlikely hero as he saved their blushes with a 20-yard curler 13 minutes from time after Oli McBurnie’s first-half penalty had cancelled out McTominay’s opener.

Ten Hag said: “We are happy we did that, we have to pay attention and do it in a good way and first half I think it wasn’t the standard for Sir Bobby Charlton and the second half was a bit better.

“But of course the news arrived and we are very sad and our thoughts are with his family and especially his wife Lady Norma, his children and his grandchildren.

“I heard some players got some inspiration from it and they wanted a win to mark it. It was an extra motivation, absolutely.

“But the first half was not a good game. We can talk long or we can talk short, it was a poor game from our side and you see it often after internationals, especially us with so many changes, the routines are not there. In the first half we allowed them to make it their game.

“We were too direct, no good organisation, second half we made some changes and you saw we got better, we were more composed and kept the ball.

“We controlled the game and created the chances and then finally we deserved the win and it was a beautiful goal.”

Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom began his playing career at Old Trafford as a teenager and remembers Charlton fondly.

“He was there the day I signed as a 14-year-old,” he said. “He is a man that represented everything that United wanted to be, certainly in terms of developing youth players and getting youth players into the first team.

“It is not only Manchester United that will miss him, English football and I think he was a football icon across the world as well, so there will be a lot of people remembering him, stories they have heard, games they have seen.”

The Blades may feel they deserved something out of the game, especially on the back of a lively first-half performance, but they slipped to an eighth defeat from nine games and a long winter looks on the cards.

But Heckingbottom took the positives.

“In most games we have shown more than enough that we can compete,” he added. “Lots of things that please me in that.

“We have suffered horrendously with injuries in the last 10 days, captain, vice-captain and a couple of other players. We are not going to sulk about it, it is an opportunity for others.

“We looked more of a threat tonight. There are lots of things tonight that we have to build on. It was close. What we had today was more of an all-round threat.”

Manchester United paid tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton with a 2-1 Premier League victory at Sheffield United.

United are mourning one of their greatest ever players following Charlton’s death aged 86 on Saturday morning and goals from Scott McTominay and Diogo Dalot ensured they remembered him with victory.

But Erik ten Hag’s side could not be much further away from the one that Charlton famously led to European Cup glory in 1968 as they were lacklustre against a team who have picked up just one point this season.

Defender Dalot was the unlikely hero as he saved their blushes with a 20-yard curler 13 minutes from time after Oli McBurnie’s first-half penalty had cancelled out McTominay’s opener.

It was not a vintage performance, certainly not one fitting of Charlton, but United did at least register back-to-back league victories for the first time this season and Ten Hag will hope this can be a springboard.

The Blades may feel they deserved something out of the game, especially on the back of a lively first-half performance, but they slipped to an eighth defeat from nine games and a long winter looks on the cards.

United captain Bruno Fernandes laid a wreath on the centre circle before kick-off and there was a minute’s applause for the World Cup winner, while the away end gave a rousing rendition of ‘There’s only one Bobby Charlton’.

As emotional as it was for United, they still had a job to do and they had to weather an early storm from the hosts.

The Blades started well and should have led inside the opening three minutes as Gus Hamer’s shot deflected into the path of McBurnie, but with time and space 14 yards out he shot straight at Andre Onana, who gratefully clung on.

The visitors were up against it and Ten Hag used an injury break to gather his players and bark instructions.

It did not immediately make much difference as Onana, much maligned for handling errors this season, produced a strong arm to keep out Cameron Archer’s 20-yard drive.

For all their bluster, the Blades had come away from a strong opening 25 minutes without reward and they were punished as the visitors went ahead against the run of the play in the 28th minute.

McTominay, who rescued his side with two injury-time goals against Brentford before the international break, received the ball from Fernandes and his scuffed effort found its way into the bottom corner.

Things quickly turned sour for for McTominay, though, as just five minutes later he gave away a penalty when he handled James McAtee’s cross.

The incident survived a VAR check and McBurnie stepped up and stroked the spot-kick home for his first goal of the season.

McBurnie almost turned provider in the 41st minute when he slipped in Archer, but Onana bravely stopped with his face.

For all the home pressure, it was Ten Hag’s men who nearly took a lead into the half-time break as they had two late chances.

First Fernandes clipped the crossbar with a dipping free-kick before Rasmus Hojlund was denied by a fine save from Wes Foderingham, who rushed out and deflected the ball wide.

The Blades were on the front foot after the restart and Onana made another impressive stop, palming away Rhian Brewster’s effort after being wrong-footed.

United finally upped their game and created a raft of chances to go back in front.

Foderingham saved from Hojlund when the Dane should have scored, Marcus Rashford rolled wide at the far post and Sofyan Amrabat thundered a fierce 20-yard effort against the crossbar.

The breakthrough eventually came in the 77th minute when Dalot was afforded too much time on the edge of the area and he curled a shot into the top corner, though Foderingham got a hand to it and should have kept it out.

That proved enough as United remembered Charlton with victory which will not live long in the memory.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said Victor Lindelof had been “exhausted” but was ready to play in Saturday’s match at Sheffield United after his distressing experience in Belgium earlier in the week.

Lindelof captained the Sweden side whose Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium in Brussels on Monday was abandoned at half-time after two Swedish fans were shot dead before the game and another injured three miles from the King Baudouin Stadium.

Ten Hag told a press conference on Friday: “A terrible situation, and I feel really sad for the victims, for all the relatives, family, friends of the victims in Brussels. It’s a crazy world.

“Of course Victor, they had a problem, it’s a bad experience. As captain of the Swedish team, he had to stay in front and give statements. But he dealt well with it.

“Of course he’s exhausted after this experience because also he didn’t sleep overnight. He returned, and yesterday he was back in training. He dealt with the situation.

“Our thoughts once again were with Victor, with the victims and the victims’ relatives. Victor has energy and is ready to play this game.”

United head into the match at Bramall Lane amid considerable talk about their ownership situation, with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim last weekend understood to have ended his attempt to buy the club, while INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly looking to purchase a 25 per cent stake.

When asked about that situation, Ten Hag said he was “not involved in this”, adding: “Others in the club are dealing with this.

“I am focusing on my team, on the coming block (of games), and I am focusing on the most important priority, the next game – it’s all about that.”

In their last outing before the international break, United – currently 10th in the Premier League table – appeared set for a seventh defeat of the season in all competitions, and third in eight days, before a stoppage-time double from Scott McTominay secured them a 2-1 home win over Brentford.

The visitors had taken the lead in the first half through Mathias Jensen in what was another questionable moment for Andre Onana, the goalkeeper signed from Inter Milan in the summer.

While Ten Hag says Onana has to “step up”, he has reiterated his belief that the Cameroon international will come good and pointed to the example of some of United’s past goalkeepers.

“He knows, we know, he will do much better and as every player who’s coming into the Premier League, you need an integration period, but he has to step up,” Ten Hag said.

“Also, big United keepers like Peter Schmeichel, David De Gea, also they started not too good, and I think for Andre it is good to know a little bit from the history.

“But we live now, we live in the future, and he has to make his future by giving better performances – and he will do, I’m sure.

“He already showed that so many times in big clubs like Barcelona, when he was young, Ajax, Inter Milan, he was in the semi-finals and final of the Champions League. He’s a great player, and I’m sure he will give us performances and I’m sure we will have a lot of joy with him.”

United have Raphael Varane and Sergio Reguilon available for the clash with the bottom-of-the-table Blades after injury lay-offs, and Sofyan Amrabat, despite him not being involved for Morocco during the international break.

Jonny Evans, who sustained a knock while playing for Northern Ireland, also appears to be in contention – but Casemiro has been ruled out by an injury sustained on Brazil duty that Ten Hag has said is “not too bad”.

Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Aaron Wan-Bissaka remain sidelined while Jadon Sancho has been training away from the first team, with the club having said that is “pending resolution of a squad discipline issue”.

Asked if there was any change to Sancho’s situation, Ten Hag said: “Everything has been said about it.”

Harry Maguire admits he cannot keep just playing once a month for Manchester United but remains confident of winning back his place and helping Erik ten Hag’s team climb the table.

It has been a bumpy ride since the 30-year-old starred in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final, with the defender falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford and then losing the captaincy.

A widely-discussed summer move to West Ham did not materialise and settled Maguire remained at a club where he is trying to get his career back on track with next summer’s Euros looming large.

Gareth Southgate has been a staunch supporter of the centre-back throughout his ups and downs but admitted to concerns over his level of involvement, which the ex-United skipper is determined to improve.

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“I have belief in my ability and what I have done in my career as every player should,” Maguire said.

“Every player who is on the bench should believe they should be starting, otherwise they wouldn’t be playing at a high level. I am no different.

“Listen, it’s been tough. I want to play games. I want to feel important to the club and I want to feel important to the rest of the team.

“At the moment I haven’t been playing anywhere near as much as I’d like. It’s the bottom line of it.

“I’ve just got to make sure I am ready to take the opportunities when they come along.”

Asked when gametime becomes an issue and, given Euro 2024 is coming up, whether that could be sooner rather than later, said: “Yeah, of course.

“I mean, I’m not going to sit here all my life and play once every month and if it carries on then I’m sure myself and the club will sit down and have a chat about things.

“But, honestly, at the moment I’m fully focused on two games for England, two big games.

“Then I’m fully focused on fighting and trying to get back my place at Manchester United and helping the team climb up the league to where we should be.”

England face Australia in a Wembley friendly on Friday before attention turns to the crunch Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.

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Maguire has kept his England place despite his struggles to break his way into Ten Hag’s line-up, making his first Premier League start of the campaign in Saturday’s 2-1 comeback win against Brentford.

“It’s not my decision whether I start the next game or not,” said the defender, who provided the assist for Scott McTominay’s winner. “I’m unsure on that. I’m sure in a couple of weeks I’ll go back and find out.

“Listen, if you look back on my last 15 to 20 starts for club and country, I would be happy to sit here and say ‘I’m really happy with my performances’.

“My record under this manager speaks for itself. I haven’t started as many games as I’d like, but my win percentage when I’ve played is ridiculously high.

“And of course there’s times when I can do more and times when I can improve and help the team, but, yeah, I’m just wanting to help the team.

“I’m wanting to help the team get out of this position that we’re in at the moment and hopefully we can do that in the coming weeks.”

Maguire benefitted from a string of defensive absentees as he made just his ninth Premier League start since Ten Hag arrived.

The Dutchman has always spoken positively about the defender in public, saying in August that he “has the abilities to be a top-class centre-back” and must “fight for his place”.

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“I can only do what I’ve been doing in terms of when I’ve come into the team, bringing positive performances,” Maguire said.

“I’ve started two games this season and come on in a few off the bench, but, yeah, keep working hard in training.

“The manager can only watch training and make his decision from training and the games when I get the opportunity to play.

“I’ll keep working hard, I’ll keep pushing. I have great belief in myself.”

What the papers say

Jadon Sancho could leave Manchester United in January, the Daily Mail reports, with the Red Devils said to be willing to subsidise his wages to offload the 23-year-old forward. Sancho, who is reportedly paid £300,000 a week at United, remains out of the first-team picture at Old Trafford following his stand-off with boss Erik ten Hag.

The Times says Tottenham defender Eric Dier could move back to his former club Sporting Lisbon in January, or when his contract runs out next summer. The 29-year-old is yet to feature for Tottenham this season after playing 33 games for the club last term. The England international joined the club in 2014 from Portuguese outfit Sporting.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Vinicius Junior: The 23-year-old Real Madrid superstar is yet to sign a new contract with the club, with his current deal running out next summer, Spanish outlet Sport says.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Football Insider reports that Manchester United have commenced talks with their 25-year-old right-back to sort out a new contract.

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United’s stunning stoppage-time turnaround against Brentford has to be the “turning point” in their season.

The afterglow from a promising first season under the Dutchman has long since dimmed, with the mood threatening to darken further before the international break.

Mathias Jensen put Brentford on course for a famous Old Trafford win as United entered second-half stoppage time staring down the barrel of a fifth defeat in their opening eight league matches.

But super sub Scott McTominay had other ideas. Introduced in the 87th minute, he fired United level in the 93rd minute and four minutes later headed home to seal a scarcely believable 2-1 comeback win.

“This has to be a turning point but also it has to be a restart because we have to get into higher levels,” United boss Ten Hag said.

“But the spirit is good, the belief is good, the team is together.

“We have shown that, we have shown strong character and it can be the turning point in the season but it’s up to us.

“Those games give fuel to a dressing room. They know how far they have to go to get results.

“It can’t be easy going and in football, it’s eat or you get eaten.

“Too many times in the first half of the season we have got eaten by opponents who are more hungry, and this can’t be. It has to go away.

“Every player, every second he is on the pitch, he has to deliver that. That is the demand and the standard.

“When you do that, we have seen last season that you get a determined team.

“We were not always determined on every occasion in games and you get hammered for it and this has to change.”

McTominay was the fifth and final substitution made by Ten Hag as United desperately looked to avoid a third straight Old Trafford defeat in all competitions.

The homegrown midfielder was linked with a summer move but stayed and came up trumps on Saturday, when he admitted he could not quite hear Ten Hag’s instructions when bringing him on.

McTominay reckoned his manager “probably said something like ‘go on and score’,” but the grinning Dutchman said: “I said score two goals!

“It says a lot (about his mentality). He’s Man United in everything, in his heart. He’s playing for the badge, he gives his life.

“When you’re coming on and you give this to the team, that tells a lot. That also tells a lot about this dressing room, they are together.

“And also I felt the whole afternoon a strong togetherness with the fans because even when we are losing they kept standing behind us.

“They kept us going, the team kept going and finally we get rewarded.”

Brentford were just moments away from a famous first Old Trafford win since 1937, only to be denied their second victory of the season at the death.

Bees head coach Thomas Frank said: “When you’re leading 1-0 into three minutes injury time and then lose, I think that’s unfair.

“I think if you were winning there you would all say ‘well done, tough game for Brentford, deserved win’.

“When they equalised, probably you could say ‘OK, 1-1 is probably fair’.

“I think that we played close to a perfect first half, very aggressive in the high pressure, very brave on the ball, good on the counters, defended well.

“I think it was a well-deserved 1-0 lead that first half.

“Second half we get more under pressure. Of course, we’re playing against Man United at Old Trafford. They have to win.

“I know when it’s good for other managers. I’m happy for Erik but of course not happy for myself that we didn’t win, because I think he would probably have faced a pretty brutal room if he’d lost.”

Super sub Scott McTominay’s stunning stoppage-time double secured Manchester United a remarkable last-gasp 2-1 comeback victory against Brentford.

Premier League losses at home to Brighton and Crystal Palace led to intense scrutiny and pressure that had increased further after Tuesday’s chastening Champions League defeat to Galatasaray.

Erik ten Hag’s men needed to go into the international break on a high but floundered for the most part on Saturday afternoon, with a catalogue of errors resulting in Mathias Jensen’s opener.

United offered precious little in response as Brentford headed into second-half stoppage time on course for a famous first win at Old Trafford since 1937.

But McTominay, brought on as a final roll of the dice in the 87th minute, had other ideas.

First the homegrown midfielder fired home a 93rd-minute equaliser and four minutes later headed home a scarcely believable winner to spark wild Old Trafford celebrations.

It was an incredible end to a day that began in poignant fashion as Old Trafford paid tribute to Lady Cathy Ferguson following the death of Sir Alex Ferguson’s wife.

Players wore black armband and flags flew at half-mast on a day that both teams began with intent that they struggled to turn into clear-cut chances.

Aaron Hickey twice tried his luck from distance as the Bees attempted to sting a makeshift United backline.

With five defenders injured and the defence unbalanced, Victor Lindelof was deployed at left-back and Harry Maguire made his first league start of the campaign alongside Jonny Evans.

United lacked the Bees’ coherence and discipline and, shortly after mightily impressive Ethan Pinnock’s sliding block denied Mason Mount, their ongoing issues cost them.

Slack Casemiro gave away possession around the centre circle and failed to win it back, with Lindelof then failing to effectively deal with Yoane Wissa’s low ball into the box.

That botched clearance ricocheted off the Brentford forward into the path of Jensen to sweep home a low, first-time strike that Andre Onana could not get down to stop.

It was an all too familiar gut punch for United, who failed to muster a shot on target until Marcus Rashford wriggled free to test Premier League debutant Thomas Strakosha in the 37th minute.

Bryan Mbeumo sent a curling effort skipping just wide when Brentford returned to the attack, with United creating precious beyond a hopeful looping Casemiro header back across goal.

Boos greeted the half-time whistle and Ten Hag replaced underperforming Casemiro with former Brentford midfielder Christian Eriksen at the break.

The introduction’s hopeful, long-range piledriver forced Strakosha into action in the 53rd minute, with Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund trying to eke out an equaliser.

Diogo Dalot hacked clear after a long Brentford throw-in was flicked on, but play was now nearly entirely focused at the other end.

The right-back flashed an effort over and Hojlund struck into the side netting, with Strakosha palming away a Bruno Fernandes effort.

Lindelof went straight down the tunnel after being replaced by Anthony Martial, perhaps suggesting another injury for a United side struggling for luck or cohesion.

The France forward saw penalty appeals overlooked in between fellow introduction Alejandro Garnacho whipping over and Fernandes missing the target.

Onana impressively clawed away substitute Neal Maupay’s audacious 20-yard attempt but a few frustrated fans had begun heading towards the exit.

Anyone that left early missed a box office conclusion.

United thought they had equalised in the 89th minute, only to realise Martial had strayed offside when flicking a cross that deflected into the Brentford goal.

That setback made the stoppage-time turnaround all the sweeter for the Old Trafford faithful.

Three minutes into stoppage time Garnacho hooked back for Dalot to get a shot that Strakosha parried, with McTominay eventually controlling a clearance and drilling home.

Martial got a low shot on goal during a melee as United sought a winner that arrived in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

Fernandes’ floated free-kick from around the halfway line was headed on by Maguire and McTominay battled to head home to secure a jaw-dropping late victory.

Under-pressure Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is not worried about losing his job after his side’s horror start to the season continued with a Champions League home defeat to Galatasaray.

The Red Devils threw away a 2-1 lead to fall to a 3-2 loss at a rain-soaked Old Trafford and suffer their worst start to a season since 1986.

They have lost six of their opening 10 games for the first time in 37 years and their chances of getting out of the group stages already look in doubt after just two matches.

But Ten Hag, who says there are “no excuses” for his side’s dismal performances, insist everyone at the club is pulling in the same direction.

Asked whether he feared for his job, the Dutchman said: “Last season: brilliant, terrific, more than we could expect.

“We also knew in this project there would be common gaps. At this moment we are in a very difficult period as everyone can see but we come out together, we are fighting together, we are sticking together and we are behind each other. That is me, the directors, the team, all together we will fight.

“This is not us, we know we have to do better, with togetherness we will come out.

“If I give an explanation, then you will see as excuses, there are no excuses. We can’t make the errors we are now making. We have to do better, it is a simple fact, we have to win our games.”

United had victory in their own hands after two Rasmus Hojlund goals, either side of former United winger Wilfried Zaha’s leveller, put them on course for a much-needed win.

But Kerem Akturkoglu again pegged them back and then a woeful error by Andre Onana set them on a path to self-destruction as his abysmal pass led to Casemiro fouling Dries Mertens in the penalty area and the Brazilian was sent off.

Mauro Icardi missed the resulting penalty, but made amends three minutes later as he grabbed the winner and sealed a first ever victory on English soil for the Turkish side.

Onana also made a costly gaffe in the Group A opener at Bayern Munich a fortnight ago but Ten Hag, who managed him at Ajax, has backed the Cameroonian to come good.

“We are happy with our goalkeeping group, definitely with Andre,” Ten Hag said. “He was in one semi-final of the Champions League, last year he was in the final of the Champions League, he has the capablilties to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

“He has shown that and he will do. We already have seen in games his great capabilites, also his personality after he made mistakes. He will bounce back and I am sure he will in the coming games as well.”

Galatasaray were good value for their victory and are now a good bet to progress to the knockout stages, having taken four points from their opening two games.

“In the second half I believe we played better, we had more chances,” coach Okan Buruk said. “At the end of the day we are happy, we won against this team, a very important team.

“This victory is very important for Turkish football, for us and for our standing in the group.”

Manchester United have announced Lisandro Martinez will be sidelined for an “extended period” after aggravating the foot injury he suffered towards the end of last season.

The Argentina defender sustained a fractured metatarsal in April’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sevilla, keeping him out for around two months.

Martinez is now looking at a similar timescale after United confirmed he had suffered a setback.

The club said: “Lisandro Martinez will be out of action for an extended period due to an aggravation of the foot injury he suffered in April.

“The Argentinian defender experienced the setback in our Premier League game against Arsenal earlier this month.

“Martinez bravely continued playing for the following two games against Brighton and Bayern Munich.

“But it has now been determined that he needs a period on the sidelines for recovery and rehabilitation. Assessment is ongoing to decide next steps.”

United have a number of injury issues to deal with and have confirmed Sergio Reguilon will be among those absent against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The club said: “Sergio Reguilon will also be absent from this Saturday’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace with a minor injury.”

Erik ten Hag says Alejandro Garnacho was “not good enough” in his previous starts this season after the Manchester United teenager scored in the Carabao Cup victory against Crystal Palace.

Having secured a much-needed Premier League victory at Burnley on Saturday evening, the Red Devils ran out comfortable 3-0 victors against Roy Hodgson’s south Londoners on Tuesday night.

Casemiro scored and then crossed for Anthony Martial’s goal on a night started by Garnacho impressively putting the Carabao Cup holders ahead from Diogo Dalot’s cutback.

The 19-year-old began United’s first two matches of the season, but this was the first time he was named in the starting line-up since the defeat to Tottenham five weeks ago.

“You have seen at the start of the season we played him and then his contribution was not good enough,” manager Ten Hag said of the Argentina international.

“But he also had some good actions. You see always he is a threat in the game even when he is not playing that well.

“He has to learn when he does his job in defending he will always have his moment and he will always be decisive because he has great qualities.

“As well, it’s not only off the ball. But I want to see like today, he is entering the box in the right spot to finish.

“But I think it is quite normal for a player of his age that there is space for a lot of improvement.

“Everyone likes him, the fans like him, the team likes him, I like him but we also have to demand from him and push him because he can act on a very high level but he has to show it every day.”

United made seven alterations, as did Palace, ahead of Saturday’s Premier League reunion at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag will hope Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay can return from what the United boss called illness, so too left-back Sergio Reguilon.

The on-loan Tottenham full-back’s absence meant Sofyan Amrabat filled in there on his first start for the club, before stepping into midfield at half-time.

“Sofyan is a player, and that was one of the reasons we signed him, where the team needs him, he will play and he can play in more positions,” Ten Hag said.

“Every player has his best position but he gives a certain dynamic in the game. We have seen today but also for him and many players, we just started.

“That process was a little bit interrupted by the many injuries we have because when you can play a long time with the same team then you get routines, the players learn each other and it’s more automatic.

“You see Mason (Mount), Amrabat, you see also others, they can contribute to our game and they will do.”

As for Palace, Roy Hodgson had no arguments with the result as his side made a meek Carabao Cup exit in the third round.

“I thought we were well beaten, basically,” said the Eagles boss, who saw Dean Henderson go off injured on his debut at former club United.

“I thought they attacked better than we did, defended the few attacks we were able to mount quite comfortably.

“As a result, unfortunately, you tend when that happens to only be looking at one possible result and that was the result they came up with.”

What the papers say

Jadon Sancho has been urged by players at Manchester United to end his dispute with manager Erik ten Hag, according to the Daily Mirror. The Times reports that the PFA has offered to help the England winger, 23, settle his differences with ten Hag.

Arsenal are gearing up to grab Ivan Toney, with the Daily Mirror reporting Brentford have valued the 27-year-old at £60 million ahead of a likely move for him in the January transfer window.

Jesse Lingard has ended his one-month training stint at West Ham to move to Saudi Arabia, with the Daily Mirror reporting club manager David Moyes insisting the club is comfortable with Lingard’s decision.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Chelsea secretly parted ways with Bruno, who joined Craven Cottage under former manager Graham Potter’s watch and was a first-team coach under Mauricio Pochettino.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Romelu Lukaku: Roma are keen to turn the 30-year-old striker’s loan from Chelsea into a permanent move.

Mohamed Salah: Negotiations between Liverpool, Saudi Arabia and the striker’s agent are becoming the subject of a Harvard study.

Jonny Evans is convinced Manchester United have a “good thing going” under Erik ten Hag despite their shaky start to the season.

Things have gone awry after a promising first campaign under the Dutchman, with the Red Devils losing four of their first six matches in all competitions for the first time since 1986.

There were some mitigating factors in that poor run but that did not stop the pressure mounting on the Old Trafford giants heading into Saturday evening’s Premier League trip to Burnley.

Ten Hag’s troops were far from their best but Bruno Fernandes’ brilliant volley secured a 1-0 win for a side that begin their Carabao Cup defence at home to Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Evans watched February’s Wembley triumph from the stands and is now back at the club he came through at as a boy, with the experienced defender confident about United’s future.

“I’ve had some up and down moments at Man United over the years,” said the defender, who won three Premier League titles and a Champions League during his previous spell at the club.

“I think you get that if you want to be at the top. You know, it’s going to be very up and down.

“You’ve got to be able to deal with setbacks and this club is a fantastic club, always want to be challenging at the top, so it’s all part and parcel of it.

“The manager’s got a good thing going here.

“I’m a fan of the club so I was able to watch them a lot last year, been at both finals to support. Like I say, I think the manager’s got a good thing going.”

Evans made his second appearance of the season and first United start in eight-and-a-half years on Saturday evening.

The 35-year-old impressed against Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, scoring a goal that was disallowed before providing an exceptional pass for Fernandes’ volleyed winner.

“That was great,” the beaming Northern Irishman said after his 200th United appearance. “I was really looking forward to it all day.

“I got the shout yesterday in training that I was going to be starting, so I couldn’t wait for the game, really.

“I was more nervous in the pre-season, my first pre-season game, to be honest, playing up in Edinburgh.

“I didn’t feel any nerves tonight. I actually felt a lot of excitement going into the game. I couldn’t wait for it and I felt good, I felt ready.”

Evans produced an impressive all-round display at Turf Moor, leading captain Fernandes to pass on the man of the match award that he had been handed.

The centre-back joked it was just the third of a career he never expected to return to such heights having left Leicester on the back of relegation and an injury-hit campaign.

Asked if he ever thought he would get back to this level, Evans immediately responded: “No, definitely not.

“It’s not a case of winding down. I think people’s career trajectories kind of end up that way and it’s very difficult for a club when you’re 35 years old to take a chance on you.

“I had a lot of injury problems last year as well, so for the club to do that and see the value in me, I’m very grateful to be given the opportunity.

“On one side it feels really surreal and then on the other side it just feels completely normal.

“It’s quite difficult to get my head around sometimes, but I’m loving it.

“For a 35-year-old I suppose to come back in – they wanted me to come back in and provide cover – not many people get to do that.

“I know it’s going be a big challenge but hopefully it’s one that I can take on.

“I feel like it’s one that was perfect for me at this stage of my career.”

Bruno Fernandes’ stunning volley secured absentee-hit Manchester United a much-needed victory as Burnley’s wait for a Premier League win continued.

Injuries and off-field issues have been compounded by poor performances in some tough fixtures, with the Red Devils losing four of their opening six matches in all competitions for the first time since 1986.

United ended a run of three successive defeats at Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, where Erik ten Hag’s team were not entirely convincing but ran out 1-0 victors thanks to Fernandes’ moment of magic on Saturday night.

The Portugal midfielder showed exceptional composure and technique when providing a fitting finish to a brilliant pass from Jonny Evans, who was making his first start for the club since 2015.

The 35-year-old recently rejoined the club and thought he had scored shortly before Fernandes’ goal, only for the VAR to intervene in a first half that Burnley had held their own in.

Zeki Amdouni struck a post during the opening period and Kompany’s side threatened towards the end of the second half, but the Manchester City great was unable to celebrate a late equaliser.