Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has selected Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans instead of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez as centre-backs against Aston Villa.

De Ligt and Martinez have been Ten Hag's starting centre-back pairing this season and have started United's last four Premier League games.

Both also started Thursday's Europa League draw against Porto, but were replaced by Evans and Maguire in the final 11 minutes of regular time after a disappointing defensive performance. In the 3-3 draw, Maguire equalized for ten-man United in the 91st minute.

The Villa game will mark the 36-year-old Evans' first Premier League start of the season, having been limited to two substitute appearances against Fulham and Southampton in the top flight so far.

Your United squad for #AVLMUN 🫡#MUFC || #PL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 6, 2024

Maguire, 31, has not played in the Premier League since the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on August 24 after losing his starting place to summer signing De Ligt. He was subsequently not named in Lee Carsley's England squad for the Nations League games in October.

United travel to Villa without a win in their last four competitions and have lost three of their last five Premier League games, with Ten Hag increasingly in the spotlight.

The athlete As reported on Friday, United's executive committee has scheduled a long-running meeting in London within 48 hours of Sunday's game.

Ten Hag rolls the dice in the big game

Erik ten Hag rolled the dice by fielding Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans for a match of this magnitude. Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt are his new signings and are considered his first pair. Therefore, dropping them is a big step, even considering how they played in Porto.

The duo of Maguire (31) and Evans (36) were first seen at Leicester City in 2018/19, but here they are playing for United in 2024.

They are being asked to keep secret an attack on Aston Villa that has already begun. Ollie Watkins and, inevitably, Jhon Duran off the bench are both real threats to the defenders. Ten Hag, who scrutinizes his position so closely, absolutely needs selection to work.

(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)