'He's worried' - Rasmus Hojlund verdict given after Manchester United decision

Former midfielder Owen Hargreaves believes Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is 'worried' about Rasmus Hojlund's workload after the striker started Thursday night's 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce on the bench.

Despite scoring the winner in last Saturday's 2-1 win over Brentford at Old Trafford, the Dane was denied a fourth successive start, with Joshua Zirkzee preferred to lead the attack.

Hojlund stepped off the bench in the second half, replacing Zirkzee with 55 minutes played. He offered more of a threat than the Dutchman and was furious when Diogo Dalot failed to pick him out with a low cross just minutes after his introduction.

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His omission from the starting line up was one of a handful of surprising elements within the team Ten Hag selected in Istanbul. And in the opinion of former United ace Hargreaves, Ten Hag is evidently concerned about overloading Hojlund after missing so much football at the start of the season with a hamstring problem.

Hargreaves, appearing on TNT Sports, said: "He is worried about Hojlund and his minutes, he knows he needs him for West Ham at the weekend."

Hargreaves was also in disagreement to start Casemiro on the bench. It was widely anticipated ahead of the team news being confirmed that Casemiro would join forces with Manuel Ugarte and Christian Eriksen in the middle. However, Noussair Mazraoui was deployed as the most offensive midfielder, meaning Ugarte and Eriksen occupied the two deeper roles.

"I definitely would have played Casemiro," Hargreaves continued. "Ugarte played really well, he looked good, but offensively United didn't show much.

"It was a fair result in the end. I don't think United can expect to go there and win right now, given their form. But three points after three games isn't good enough, clearly."