Ten Hag hints he may ignore Scholes' calls to never repeat Man Utd tactic

Erik ten Hag has hinted that he could deploy Bruno Fernandes on the wing again when Manchester United travel to Real Betis for the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie.

The Dutchman has used Fernandes, who is primarily a central midfielder, in a wide position in recent weeks as part of a fluid front three. And while the 28-year-old has played well in the unfamiliar role, he was excellent after being restored to his usual No.10 position during United's thumping 4-1 win over Betis last week.

However, the Portuguese playmaker could be forced back into a wide position with Antony and Alejandro Garnacho both unavailable for Thursday night's match.

Speaking ahead of the match, Ten Hag included Fernandes as a potential option on the wing. He said: "Antony is ill. We have options and we will see tomorrow. We have Elanga, Bruno and Pelli (Facundo Pellistri)."

Ten Hag's willingness to utilise Fernandes in a wide position again comes just days after United icon Paul Scholes stressed that the midfielder should never be played on the wing ever again.

Speaking in the aftermath of last week's impressive win over Real Betis, Scholes told BT Sport: "Some of the players who came in for criticism, Bruno especially, I thought he was brilliant in the centre of the pitch where we know that's his best position. I hope we never see him in a wide area ever again on the football pitch because it's just not his strength, he was so good in the centre of that pitch dictating play."

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After Manchester United blew Betis away in the second-half, Scholes doubled down on his verdict on Fernandes, adding: "I think a lot comes from playing centrally, where he’s more comfortable.

"He sacrifices himself a lot, being shoved out left and right. He was brilliant today in that central midfield role. I thought it was sensational. Good composure, that's what you expect from a United midfield player and the captain, there was none of them antics."

Fernandes also impressed his manager which his performance against the LaLiga outfit - just days after he was slammed for being ineffective and petulant during United's humiliating 7-0 defeat against Liverpool.

"He was the best player on the pitch, it showed his personality," Ten Hag said of Fernandes last week. "He played a little deeper role tonight and he was brilliant, making the game from the back in position, a lot of good passes in between the lines. From there we created a lot of chances."