Manchester United are in a desperate situation defensively and manager Erik ten Hag took a big gamble against Bournemouth.
One of the reasons Manchester United have struggled this season has been down to a relentless run of injuries.
Yet what United fans want to know, is how much of this is sheer bad luck, and what factor can be attributed to poor handling of the players in question?
The recent situations we saw play out with Lisandro Martinez and Jonny Evans has recently left the centre-back ranks depleted.
Martinez was rushed back after just one training session, and broke down two days after his comeback match, while Evans lasted just 20 minutes into his return.
This has left Manchester United reliant on a duo ofHarry Maguire and teenager Willy Kambwala.
Erik ten Hag gambled with Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire has become a vitally important player for Manchester United in light of the defensive injuries.
It was revealed after the game against Bournemouth that a decision was made to persist with Maguire despite an injury.
Erik ten Hag told club media: “One thing was Harry Maguire had an issue in the first half and for us he overcame [it]”.
“During the game, he recovered from it and you see in the second half, he was up there and then he can express his leadership, he can express his defending qualities and his [ability] on the ball.”
This was a gamble from the manager, a decision made with a focus on the Bournemouth match only, and not next week’s FA Cup semi-final.
Yes, Maguire came through, seemingly without further injury, but this could easily have backfired with a further aggravated problem for the England centre-back.
United could quite easily have been entering next weekend with Maguire added to the list of absentees.
This is a case where a positive outcome should not distract from a flawed process.
Options without Maguire
Willy Kambwala had a tricky game against Bournemouth, slipping for one goal and almost giving away a late penalty which was eventually given as a free-kick, for a foul judged to be outside the box.
Ten Hag felt he needed Maguire alongside him and was thankful the 31-year-old pushed through the discomfort as United bounced back from 2-1 down to draw 2-2.
The sensible call would have been to take the defender off at the break
So what could United actually have done without Maguire, given the limited options?
The most likely answer would be to switch Casemiro to centre-back and bring on another midfielder. Given his below-par performances in midfield, this might actually have been a reasonable option.
Erik ten Hag may have got away with it against Bournemouth. We need Harry Maguire available to face Coventry – and if he is, this will be by luck rather than through careful handling.