ERIK TEN HAG included four new faces for Manchester United’s final training session ahead of their Carabao Cup third-round clash with Crystal Palace.
The Red Devils begin their defence of the trophy with a home match against Roy Hodgson’s troops, who have beaten them in two of their last four visits to Old Trafford.
Under pressure Ten Hag – who has seen his troops blow hot and cold so far this season – is expected to make a number of changes to his starting XI for the visit of The Eagles.
And he called up four Under 18s stars for the first team’s final training session before tonight’s match at The Theatre of Dreams.
Defenders James Nolan and Louis Jackson, 17 and 18 respectively, trained with the senior Red Devils on Monday.
Ten Hag also called up 17-year-old duo Ethan Williams and Ethan Wheatley – who play in midfield and up front respectively.
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Nolan has made a total of 35 appearances for the Under 18s, scoring seven goals and racking up five assists in the process.
Jackson, meanwhile, has turned out 34 times for the side, bagging two goals and a solitary assist.
Williams has eight goals and 11 assists in 26 appearances to his name, while Wheatley has scored five times in 18 appearances.
Carabao Cup glory was cherry on top of Ten Hag’s maiden season at the Old Trafford helm, which ended with a third-placed Premier League finish.
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And the Dutchman is determined to defend the trophy, saying: “It is only a few months since we lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley Stadium.
“And we all remember what a great feeling that was,” Ten Hag begins.
“It was an important competition for us last season and that has not changed this year.
“We want to defend the trophy, so as we welcome Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace tonight, this is an opportunity for us to keep moving in the right direction.”
He added: “We want to win so we can reach the fourth round, of course.
“But it is also important for us to build on the positive performance and result we earned at Burnley on Saturday evening.
“Consistency is what we need now, not only from game to game but also within games.
“Even among our defeats this season, we have had some good spells of play and shown real quality, only to let ourselves down at key moments.
“Now, after showing a lot of character at Turf Moor, we need to follow one good result with another and keep building.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
