"That surprised me" - Gary Neville hails double masterstroke from Erik ten Hag in Manchester United's Carabao Cup final win against Newcastle

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has heaped praise on coach Erik ten Hag for the impeccable use of substitutions in United’s Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle United.

The Red Devils secured a 2-0 win over the Magpies on Sunday night (26 January), securing their first trophy in six years. Casemiro and Marcus Rashford scored two first-half goals to put Manchester United in the driving seat, but Newcastle put on a strong fight in the second 45.

To slow Newcastle United down, Ten Hag brought on Marcel Sabitzer and Scott McTominay at once in the 70th minute. Speaking on The Overlap show, Neville admitted he was mesmerized by the impact the substitutes had, and hailed Ten Hag for using the pair to regain control.

“There are times when Jose was at Chelsea and he would make substitutions, Sir Alex would do the same and you'd think 'what's he doing?' and it would work,” Neville began.

“Ten Hag's done that five or six times now in the past few months. Even on Sunday, I was absolutely certain that only one midfielder would come on. I didn't think both Marcel Sabitzer and Scott McTominay would come on.”

Neville continued:

"I thought he'd bring on a wide player like Alejandro Garnacho or Jadon Sancho plus a midfield player on. So that surprised me. Newcastle were having their best period around that time and it just got Manchester United back in control."

He further added:

“Every time he makes a change or a substitution, it has a massive impact. I think he's done it in the last six or seven matches and actually, it makes the team better. It's hard to do that.”

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Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag not hopeful of Anthony Martial’s return before the international break

With the Carabao Cup in the bag, Manchester United have emerged as the only English team to remain alive and kicking in all competitions. They are third in the Premier League standings, will face Real Betis after beating Barcelona in the playoffs, and will battle West Ham United in the FA Cup fifth round.

With six fixtures coming in thick and fast before the international break in mid-March, United could use some backup, especially up top. Anthony Martial, who’s been out of action since January 14, could have been the perfect man to bolster United’s attack, but coach Erik Ten Hag isn’t hopeful about his return.

Answering whether or not the Frenchman would be back before the two-week international break, Ten Hag told the press (via Manchester Evening News):

“I hope but I don’t give an expectation about that. Let him do his work. Several times now then he drops back too quickly. Give him the time. Of course, I hope he’s on board but at this moment we’re doing really well with this set-up. When he is available then we have an extra option and a good option so give him time.”

Martial has only played 14 games for Manchester United this season across competitions, scoring six times and claiming two assists.