Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says his players will have to “deal with” the disappointment of being left out of matches.
United began their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Fulham, with Joshua Zirkzee coming off the bench to score a late winner.
Jadon Sancho, meanwhile, was not included in the matchday squad after returning to the club from last season’s loan spell with Borussia Dortmund.
The 24-year-old held a positive meeting with Ten Hag on his return after previously falling out of favour with the Dutchman.
The England winger played in United’s Community Shield defeat by Manchester City on 10 August, but asked whether he would be involved in their next game against Brighton, Ten Hag said: “We will see.”
Ten Hag added that he hopes to have two players for each position by the end of the transfer window, meaning not everyone can be selected.
“But you need them all throughout the season because this season will be the survival of the fittest. The attitude of the players is very important, sometimes they will be disappointed, but they have to deal with it.
“You don’t win with 11 [players], you win with a squad. The prizes are decided next May and until then we need all the players in the squad highly motivated to contribute.
“That is not an expectation, that is a demand from the club and from me as manager of the squad. The team is always more important than any one individual.”
