28/12/2014 19:04, Report by Ryan Grant Herrera boost as van Gaal explains substitutions Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says fatigue, not form, led to his substitutions in Sundays goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur. The Dutchman made three defensive changes during the match at White Hart Lane, in what was the Reds second game in three days. Rafael came on for Antonio Valencia at half-time, before Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw made their returns to the team as replacements for Jonny Evans and Paddy McNair respectively. I made the changes because of tiredness, not because players weren’t playing well, the manager told MUTV. I had to make changes, and could have made more because the strikers were on their last legs. The players were tired because we’ve had to play twice in 48 hours. It’s scientifically proven that the body can’t recover within two days, and we’ve seen the effects of that today. Uniteds starting line-up was unchanged from the Boxing Day win over Newcastle but van Gaal admitted his alternatives were limited. We still have four injuries, and Marouane Fellaini is ill. Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Ander Herrera are currently out. There was, however, a positive update on the latter player, with van Gaal stating Ander will be coming back this week as the Reds prepare to face Stoke City with, this time, a full three days falling between that New Year’s Day fixture and the Tottenham encounter.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:25:51 +0000
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