Reds can cope with schedule, says Ten Hag

United boss defends lack of squad rotation in busy campaign

- TYRONE MARSHALL

ERIK ten Hag has defended his lack of rotation at United and said the players in his squad are capable of playing a significant number of games during a season.

The Reds will play their 53rd game of the season against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley today, but Ten Hag's squad has been heavily hit by injuries in recent weeks.

There was also a sense of tiredness was catching up with them in the limp defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-final second-leg on Thursday, but Ten Hag refused to let that be an excuse for a performance he described as 'unacceptable.

Four United players have already played more than 3,000 minutes this season, with Casemiro just nine short of that milestone, and Ten Hag hasn't always rotated as much as expected, especially after making seven changes in defeat to Real Sociedad in September.