Erik ten Hag Praises Victor Lindelof & Luke Shaw After Win vs Brighton

Erik Ten Hag hailed the new defensive partnership of Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw after they helped Manchester United secure their place in the FA Cup final on Sunday. United had been dealt significant injury blows at the back for the season run-in with Lisandro Martinez ruled out for the rest of the campaign after suffering a fractured metatarsal in the 2-2 draw with Sevilla, while Raphael Varane also limped off in that same game with recent reports suggesting the former France international will also miss the remainder of the season. United were also without Harry Maguire for Sunday’s trip to Wembley with the club captain serving a suspension. Ten Hag deployed Shaw at centre-half at the start of the year, moving the left-back inside again against Brighton to partner Lindelof. The two showed promise as a new duo at the back with Lindelof in particular turning in a superb performance, also stepping up to slam home the winning penalty that set up the FA Cup final showdown with Manchester City. Ten Hag praised Lindelof for his coolness under pressure and also David de Gea’s performance, who made key saves to deny Alexis Mac Allister, Julio Enisco and Solly March during the 120 minutes of action. The Spaniard had endured a woeful evening three days ago as United were thrashed 3-0 by Sevilla, at fault for each of the goals as his side crashed out of the Europa League, but Ten Hag was delighted with his goalkeeper’s response.