MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has attempted to brush off the boos that greeted his decision to substitute Rasmus Højlund during the 3-1 defeat to Brighton.
A disastrous day for Ten Hag was made worse when his decision to replace Højlund with Anthony Martial in the second half prompted loud boos from the home support.
Afterwards, he insisted the reaction was down to Højlund's positive performance on his full debut. — Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) — Man United's on-field feats no better than off-field mess «I think it was positive,» Ten Hag said. «You see the fans in the first moment in Old Trafford, the reception for [Højlund] was great.
I think he performed very well. It's good they give this signal, this message. It will give Rasmus belief.» Højlund, 20, almost marked his first United start with a goal but had a first-half equaliser ruled out by VAR.