Erik ten Hag gives Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof verdict after Manchester United beat Forest
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag praised centre-backs Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof following Sunday's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, insisting their performances were dominant.
After Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were both forced off through injury in Thursday night's 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the Europa League, Maguire and Lindelof started a Premier League fixture alongside each other for the first time since January 3. They both contributed to United recording a third successive league win and clean sheet.
Varane, who retired from international football earlier this year, is expected to be a sidelined for a few weeks while Martinez will miss the rest of the season. They have both been star operators this season, meaning Maguire and Lindelof have got big shoes to fill.
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However, Ten Hag was pleased with their contributions at the City Ground, offering optimism that they can both play key roles during the run-in.
Ten Hag said: "It was a solid win. We were really focused and concentrated from start to finish.
"[The defence] was very good, a really solid performance from all on the pitch today. The centre-backs had great cooperation, and the full-backs were brilliant in and out of possession, too.
"Harry and Victor dominated their opponents."
Unlike in previous seasons, Ten Hag prefers Maguire, who is right-footed, to play on the right side of the two centre-backs, whereas he played on the left under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ten Hag believes the United captain is better suited to playing on the right.
"The angles are not good if Harry is playing on the left side, it is difficult for him,"