Erik ten Hag decision vs Sheffield United proved he's keeping his Manchester United promise

In conventional wisdom, taking off your best striker when you're in desperate search of a goal in a game you have to win is seen as a rather peculiar decision.

But for Erik ten Hag, taking off Rasmus Hojlund against Sheffield United might have been an admittance of where his priorities lie at present. About maintaining a promise.

Manchester United managed to find that vital winning goal at Bramall Lane, from the unlikely source of Diogo Dalot. It was far from a convincing performance but it was progress as the side won back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time in the campaign.

ALSO READ: Dalot opens up on meetings with Sir Bobby Charlton

ALSO READ: Ten Hag explains Rasmus Hojlund substitution

It's hardly worth screaming from the rooftops over but United are starting to build what could eventually become momentum at an opportune time. They return to Champions League action on Tuesday evening in need of an even more important win.

Like the season at large, the return to Europe's top competition has not begun how anyone would have wanted. Two games and two defeats leave United in a perilous position in the group. Any more slip-ups could prove fatal to qualifying for the knock-out stages.

United welcome FC Copenhagen to Old Trafford on Tuesday with a lot of pressure to finally get points on the board. A draw or even defeat wouldn't eliminate them but it would drastically reduce their chances of advancing, especially given they would have two away matches to come and their last home game is against Bayern Munich.

Ten Hag worked extremely hard last season to get the club back into a state fit enough to qualify for the competition and for all that work to be frittered away before the new year would be a