Erik ten Hag confirms two Manchester United players will not start against Fulham

Man Utd can secure third place with a win over Fulham on Sunday and Erik ten Hag will take the game seriously despite him having already completed qualification for the Champions League.

Erik ten Hag has confirmed he will not be starting Zidane Iqbal or Kobbie Mainoo against Fulham, saying every player must earn a place in the squad.

Manchester United have already qualified for the Champions League following Thursday’s 4-1 win over Chelsea and have an FA Cup Final against Manchester City looking forward next weekend.

However, Ten Hag isn’t taking a bench approach for the final day of Fulham’s showdown, with the result that a game or better of Newcastle’s match against Chelsea ensures a guaranteed third-place finish for the Reds.

And so he confirmed that up-and-coming academy duo Mainoo and Iqbal would not start the game as a result. When asked by Stadium Astro if either of them would be fielded, Ten Hag said: “No, they won’t because they have to prove themselves and prove their position.

“The attitude here is always that we want to win games. It doesn’t matter what competition or where we are, but this has to be the routine. So let’s take this game seriously too, we want to keep this third position in the league.”

Mainoo made his full debut in United’s 3–0 League Cup win over Charlton in January which lasted an hour. He made his next substitute appearances in an FA Cup fourth round win over Reading and a 3-0 Premier League triumph over Leicester. The last time he was included in the first-team on matchday was in the 3-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Fulham in March.

Meanwhile, Iqbal hasn’t played a minute of first-team competition since Ten Hag joined United, although he has featured in pre- and mid-season friendlies.

The 20-year-old has made 17 appearances for the team this season but is yet to make the move since his late debut in December 2021.