“An unimaginable United defensive combination”…a shocking start that surprised even the BBC, but can we keep watching?

The Harry Maguire-Johnny Evans combination surprised everyone.

Manchester United fell 1-3 to Arsenal in the fourth round of the 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) at 0:30 a.m. ET on Thursday at Emirates Stadium in London, England. It was United’s second defeat in four league games.

It was a disappointing loss for United. After taking the lead on a Marcus Rashford goal in the first minute, the Red Devils conceded a Martin Ødegaard goal to equalize. After the introduction of Lars Højlund, the flow picked up and Arsenal pushed forward, but without a goal. They lost the lead in second-half stoppage time to Declan Rice and were frustrated by a Gabriel Jesus goal in stoppage time. The game ended in a 1-3 loss for United.

The BBC highlighted the Maguire-Evans lineup during the game 온라인바카라. Maguire is one of United’s biggest surplus resources, and the club tried to sell him this summer but failed. Maguire, who had been linked with moves to Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, stayed put and came on as a late substitute.

Evans broke into the first team as a United youth player in 2006 and played until 2015. He was promoted to the first team under Sir Alex Ferguson, but his progress was slow and he left for West Bromwich Albion in 2015. He then spent five years at Leicester City before becoming a free agent this summer. He caught the eye when he was spotted at United’s training ground. He signed a first-team contract and became a squad regular. It was questionable whether he would start, but he came on as a substitute against Arsenal.

The reason for both players’ emergence was an injury to the center back line. United had been linked with several center backs, including Kim Min-Jae and Jean-Claude Todivo, but no signings were made. Then Rafael Varane was injured and Lisandro Martinez went down during the game. Viktor Lindelof went off with an injury, although the exact extent of the injury was not confirmed, so Maguire and Evans came in.

Maguire replaced Lisandro and Evans replaced Lindelof. Neither player made any major mistakes, but for United fans, it must have been unsettling to watch. “At the start of this summer, did you think you’d see a Maguire-Evans combination on the pitch?” asked the BBC.

It’s likely we’ll see more of the duo working side-by-side on defense in the future. After the game, Coach Ten Haag said, “Lisandro said he had a problem with his foot. I don’t know if he’s injured yet. We have to wait and see and then make a diagnosis. Lindelof was substituted because he was unwell.” If Baran’s return is delayed and Lissandro and Lindelof’s injury returns are prolonged, United will have to play with Evans and Maguire for a while. It’s a scenario United fans may not want to contemplate.