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Erik ten Hag lavishes praise on two Manchester United stars after Europa League victory

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag lavished praise on Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial after their superb performances helped his team win 3-2 against Omonia Nicosia

The Red Devils were shocked before the break after the hosts took the lead through Karim Ansarifard.

However, Ten Hag introduced Rashford and Martial in the second half and that made all the difference for United. 

The England international restored parity eight minutes after the interval before Martial fired in another to put his side in a commanding position. 

Rashford added another in the 84th minute with Cristiano Ronaldo the provider before Nikolas Panayiotou pulled one back for the Cypriot side. 

Ten Hag was highly impressed with the performance of the two substitutes and praised them later while talking to BT Sport

“We were too static and we have to make the opposite movement to get behind,” he said. “That’s why also we make two subs in that time and they had really an impact.

“I think Luke and Marcus definitely (helped with that) but also Anthony Martial, of course, with 2-1.


“I think the subs really had an impact today and that is really good. That makes the team stronger.”

Martial was expected to shine for United after enjoying a hugely impressive pre-season. However, he missed the opening two matches due to a hamstring problem before returning against Liverpool to bag an assist. 

Another injury kept him sidelined for several weeks and he only managed to return to the squad last weekend against Manchester City. 

The 26-year-old was hugely influential in the derby game as he played only 31 minutes but struck two goals to make the Citizens’ victory less emphatic. 

He also came off the bench against Omonia but made an immediate impact for United. 

Rashford has also recently returned from a muscle issue but he was spectacular against the Cypriot side.

The 24-year-old bagged a brace at the GSP Stadium and also contributed an assist for the Red Devils. 

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