Erik ten Hag is tying himself in knots with baffling Manchester United policy nobody understands

That sound you could hear a little after 10pm on Thursday night in Greater Manchester was the collective noise of jaws hitting the floor when Erik ten Hag said he withdrew Marcus Rashford at half-time against Porto because "we have to rotate".

It was one of the more baffling decisions the Dutchman has made in recent years and although there was some gentle criticism of Rashford to follow, he continued to insist he hadn't taken United's best attacking threat off because of his defensive efforts.

Had Ten Hag done so, then it would have been more understandable. United's first-half defending was shambolic and Rashford was passive in letting Joao Mario run off him to send in the cross for the first. Diogo Dalot, struggling at left-back, probably needed more defensive support from Rashford.

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But the 26-year-old had scored one goal, set another up and was easily the most dangerous United forward on the pitch. He was playing with a zest and confidence we have started to see more of this season and his return to form is one of the few positives on the horizon.

Ten Hag's explanation for the substitution suggests it was pre-planned and that he always intended to bring Alejandro Garnacho on for Rashford at half-time. If that is the case it speaks of a lack of adaptability during a match. Ten Hag said he wanted Rashford fresh for Aston Villa, but the first priority was the game taking place at the time, one which you had established control of before throwing it away.

That isn't the only reason Ten Hag's 'rotation' policy is raising eyebrows this season. He has