Erik ten Hag is about to discover how often he'll need to rely on his Manchester United plan B

Erik ten Hag has demonstrated that he is able to make the right substitutions when it matters most in recent matches.

Benched players have come on to score and assist the winning goals in Manchester United’s last three fixtures, with Jadon Sancho teeing up Scott McTominay for the latest of these against Omonia in Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League win.

Ten Hag will have come away from all three games frustrated that the initial 11 players on the pitch were not able to hand themselves a lead. Falling behind, as they did against Omonia last week and at Everton on Sunday, is clearly something that irritates Ten Hag, just as it does every other manager.

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But maybe more aggravating for him is that he has often been unable to play his preferred line-up due to the injuries sustained by Anthony Martial. The striker has suffered three separate setbacks this season already.

His three goals and two assists in the four games he’s featured in outline his ability. But he has started just once this term and has failed to play a whole 90 minutes for the Reds in over a year.

However, Martial is set to return from his back problem just in time. United face an important run of fixtures against Newcastle, Tottenham and Chelsea.

Martial showed his credentials against the top Premier League teams earlier this season when he provided the assist for Marcus Rashford’s winner against Liverpool. He missed the win over Arsenal due to an Achilles issue, so Ten Hag was forced to use his plan B.

Rashford’s form has meant the United boss has not had to lament Martial’s absence too much, the England international leading the line on several occasions. But all five of his goals have come from playing on the