Erik ten Hag explains why Alejandro Garnacho had to wait for Manchester United start

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said Alejandro Garnacho's contribution in his previous starts this season "was not good enough".

Garnacho made a goalscoring return to the starting line-up in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the League Cup third round as he started for the first time since the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham on August 20.

Ten Hag selected Garnacho in United's first two games of the campaign but has used him off the bench since and the 19-year-old was unused in the 1-0 defeat of Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

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"You have seen at the start of the season we played him, his contribution was not good enough," Ten Hag said. "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."

When asked if Garnacho had to do more work off the ball, Ten Hag replied: "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 recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they began their defence of the only trophy they have won in the last six years.

Casemiro and Anthony Martial also got on the scoresheet and United host Palace