Erik won’t be going easy in EFL Cup

ERIK ten Hag has promised to play a strong Manchester United side in their Carabao Cup third round tie against Aston Villa tonight.

Anthony Martial made his first appearance in four weeks as a 65th minute substitute in the 3-1 Premier League defeat at Villa on Sunday and is set to be involved in the Old Trafford tie.

United will not make a decision on Jadon Sancho and Antony until their final training session on Wednesday afternoon. Sancho has missed the last three games through illness and Antony has been absent with a muscular injury.

“First of all, all the games we play, there’s only one aim: we have to win, that is the most important,” Ten Hag said at an event with supporters at the United training complex on Wednesday. “We have to win so we put the best players on the pitch we have for every game. We make a proper plan, analyse our line-up and tomorrow that will be the same.

“But of course, we have a lot of games to cover, this is a different league, we plan some changes but we want to play a strong team and we have only one aim we want to win tomorrow and go to the next round.

“There are players coming back but a question mark. As you have seen, Anthony Martial was back for the last 20 minutes at Villa, so we are happy with that.

“We hope he can continue this tomorrow, he will be in the squad, he will have minutes, definitely, if he’s recovered good. Yesterday we had a day off. Today, we have the final training and we will see. But I think he’s capable to play for minutes.

“And the rest, Jadon Sancho: we have to wait, Antony: we have to wait today, final training.”

Meanwhile Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham has raised doubts about whether Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans would be a suitable addition to Erik ten Hag’s squad.

The Belgian international, who has gone from strength-tostrength in recent seasons, has been frequently linked with a move to Old Trafford.

“I like Tielemans, he’s got some flair about him,” Sheringham told Genting Casino. “He’s scored some lovely goals this season and that’s why he’s on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

“It’s difficult to know whether he’s 100 per cent our midfielder week-in, week-out. I know he shows flashes of brilliance but it’s difficult to know whether he can do it every week.”