Erik ten Hag might have hinted at Manchester United changes vs West Ham

Erik ten Hag appeared to take offence when he was asked about facing Liverpool this weekend before his side have even got past the hurdle of West Ham.

The Dutchman played down the immediate importance of the upcoming trip to Anfield, instead reiterating the need to take each game as it comes ahead of their FA Cup fifth-round tie tonight.

It is this professional approach that has been at the heart of United's recent revival, as Ten Hag has looked to eradicate complacency and focus his side on the task at hand.

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It is certainly an admirable approach, but the question about Liverpool was valid, given that it has to have some bearing on how his side line up at Old Trafford later on.

Ten Hag has been reluctant to make wholesale changes for any matches this season, and that is unlikely to change given the increased importance of every game that lies ahead.

United are guaranteed to play 17 more matches between now and the end of the campaign, and that figure could be as high as 25 depending on how well they do in the cup competitions.

Ten Hag can't ignore the need to look ahead, and in the coming weeks, his biggest test will be how he manages his squad and the amount of rotation he can risk.

It means rotation is inevitable against West Ham, and ahead of the game, Ten Hag reiterated that it has been a squad effort this season: "Let's make myself clear: we didn't win with 11 players, we did win with a squad.

"And I think the squad the whole season is so important and every time players come in if it's for a whole game, minutes, a couple of games, also during games we can change the dynamics, we do it with many more than 11 players.

"So I count on them, and I know