Manchester United 1-0 Everton: LVG reveals reason for Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo substitutions during narrow win

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admitted that Daley Blind was struggling at the end of the game during their 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Sunday (3 April) and has also confirmed extra rest for the defender during the week to help him recover for their clash against Tottenham on 10 April. Marcos Rojo, meanwhile, was replaced during the interval, with the Dutch manager confirming that it was due to jet lag, as the defender had arrived from Argentina following his involvement with his national team only on Thursday (31 March).

"Daley Blind has played every match this season, more or less, and he is at the end of his strengths. I shall give him two days off this week, and then he is okay again. I think [Marcos] Rojo had a problem with his jet lag, so I changed him. He came back [from international duty] on Thursday but I had to play him," Van Gaal told MUTV following their 1-0 win over Everton.

The 26-year-old Netherlands international defender has been the manager's go-to player this season and has featured in every game apart from two in all competitions from the start of the season. He has featured in 47 games thus far this campaign, with the majority of games featuring him at centre-back, and along with his involvement with the national team, Van Gaal believes that he is suffering from fatigue.

The Red Devils are in a race for a place in the top four and are battling Manchester City and West ham United for a place in next season's Champions League. They are currently in fifth place, one point less than their neighbours, and face a crunch clash against title chasing Tottenham at Whilte Hart Lane next weekend. The former Bayern Munich manager will be keen to have Blind back in the line-up and has already admitted that the defender will be handed two days off during the week to recuperate.

Rojo, on the other hand, was suffering from jet lag and should be able to start against Mauricio Pochettino's team on Sunday (10 April). The Argentine, however, has been unconvincing in his recent performances and according to the Mirror, the club could be planning to offload him in the summer.

Timothy-Fosu Mensah, who came on in place of the former Sporting Lisbon star, put in an impressive performance, earning praise from the manager and supporters alike. The youngster, who broke into the team this season, could knock down Rojo and make his second start in the upcoming clashes at left-back.