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Dimitar Berbatov says Jose Mourinho made selection error as Tottenham suffer defeat

Will Butcher

Thu 5 December 2019 17:45, UK

of Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur that Jose Mourinho should have started Christian Eriksen from the beginning of the match.

Marcus Rashford produced a stunning performance as he took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring inside the first 10 minutes with a stinging effort. He then doubled his tally from the penalty spot, after winning the spot-kick himself.

Spurs, meanwhile, dominated possession but struggled to create many chances at Old Trafford. A lack of movement, poor crossing and perhaps too defensive a formation thwarted Spurs. Indeed, Manchester United also defended well.

Former Tottenham and Manchester United striker Berbatov has claimed that Mourinho made a mistake in not starting Eriksen, despite the 27-year-old being heavily criticised for his performances as his contract continues to wind down.

“Well for me, to be honest, I think Eriksen should play from the beginning of the game. I like him,” . “He knows where everybody is on the pitch. He can give you that pass that you need.

“Of course, his head is probably not in the right place at the moment. That may affect his performance. Overall, he needs to find a place in the team every time.”

TBR’s view – Should Eriksen have started against United?

Eriksen came on in the 64th minute but the £11million () Tottenham man failed to have any kind of impact against the surprisingly-impressive Fred and the aggressive, yet excellent Scott McTominay.

It did not help that a lack of movement ahead of Eriksen gave him little chance to break down the United defence. But Berbatov’s claim that he should start is a surprising one, given that he has no future at the club.