Who will Ten Hag's centre-backs be against Aston Villa?

Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw partnered each other at the heart of our defence for the second game in succession during Thursday’s 2-2 draw away to Tottenham, with Harry Maguire missing the game completely due to an injury picked up in training before the visit to the capital.

Following the absences of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, left-back Shaw has deputised in the role over our last two outings – with Maguire also not involved in last Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final due to suspension – while United had no recognised central defender on the bench at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

With Maguire’s availability for Sunday’s Old Trafford meeting with Villa unknown at this point, Ten Hag was asked in his post-match press conference whether Lindelof and Shaw will partner each other again at the weekend.

The pairing, who helped United keep a clean sheet during Sunday’s 120-minute semi-final against Brighton, were on to contribute towards another shutout on Thursday before a second-half Spurs fightback. 

Erik acknowledges that the game obviously became a trickier task for our makeshift pairing with when the hosts upped the ante after the break – erasing a first-half 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 - but maintains that both players can have a positive outlook on their efforts once more.