Erik ten Hag explains team selection for Man United v Nottingham Forest

The manager told MUTV he hopes he will be able to bring Sancho and Martial on at some point, as they build their way back to full fitness.

“This is the first step,” he said of the attacking pair. “They’re back in the match squad now making further steps. Hopefully, we can bring them on today but first it’s about winning the game.”

In a separate interview with Sky Sports, he said: “We have a strong selection, a good team. I’m also thinking about routines, so bringing some players back, but not too much. And I think it is also good to have Jadon Sancho back and Anthony Martial back.

“That is good for the team and we will need that for all the games coming up. But the first focus is this game and we have to get to the final. Especially in the front line, you need options to rotate, to keep the squad fresh, and also to make tactical choices between games and in games.”