Four fringe Manchester United players deserve chance to impress Erik ten Hag vs Newcastle

In the immediate aftermath of Manchester United laying their hands on the Carabao Cup at Wembley back in February, this reporter praised Erik ten Hag for the respect he had shown towards the competition.

United navigated their way to the final by treating the competition, which has lost its aura in recent years, with the utmost respect. Ten Hag, round after round, deployed a star-studded XI, demonstrating how much he wanted to be the man that ended the club's trophy drought.

His refusal to tinker, as questionable as it was at times, deserved applause. It made a refreshing change to see a manager of one of the Premier League's elite to treat one of the two domestic cup competitions with such respect.

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Though Ten Hag deserved plaudits for that, he was, at certain junctures during United's run to the final against tomorrow night's opponents, Newcastle United, unable to rotate because of a lack of strength in depth. He proved that he did not have huge amounts of trust in his reserve options, and that shone through in various rounds.

This season, however, that is not the case. United recruited several new faces in the summer, spending lavish amounts of money, meaning the Dutchman now has more options to play with in most areas of the team.

But as a result of his side's faltering start to the season, he still doesn't know what his strongest XI is. Injuries have also not helped his case on that score.

But following the standard that was set by some of his most senior players during Sunday's derby defeat by Manchester City, Ten Hag should rotate his