“We said, ‘why was he bringing on Maguire and Evans?’ That’s why.”

Those were the words of Robinson moments after England defender Maguire met Christian Eriksen’s 91st-minute corner to send a thumping header beyond Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

It was 3-3. Relief for Ten Hag and United’s supporters.

David: Has Harry Maguire just saved Erik ten (man’s) Hag’s job?

Scott: Ten Hag saved by the man he stripped the captaincy from and has tried to sell for two years!

Seb: I think Maguire has just kept Ten Hag in a job. Another questionable performance from Manchester United.

Maguire himself admitted that, despite his late rescue act, there were parts of United’s display that were indeed questionable.

“When you get 2-0 away from home you have to be a little bit more solid and there were far too many gaps,” the England international told TNT Sport.

“Too many crosses were coming into the box for sure and they ultimately punished us for it.

“It’s something we need to improve. If we want to be successful this season we can’t keep conceding two goals.”

Even having avoided defeat in Portugal, Ten Hag remains under intense scrutiny before Sunday’s return to league action at Aston Villa.

He stayed on in the summer, after the disappointment of an eighth-place finish was offset somewhat by winning the FA Cup.

But while a poor start to this campaign has seen the pressure on the 54-year-old ramped up again, Mark Ogden, senior writer for ESPN, does not expect Ten Hag to be sacked even if United lose at Villa Park.

“I’ll be surprised if he lost his job,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “On the basis that the money is an issue.

“Manchester United are hoping he turns it round. He is obviously walking a tightrope.”

But how long he remains if results do not significantly improve is another matter.

“The demeanour from the players is it’s like they’ve just had a maths lesson with a teacher they don’t like and they’re all coming out confused,” Ogden added.

“There’s not really any kind of warmth from Erik ten Hag to the players. Ten Hag doesn’t have the charisma to manage at a top club.”

To overcome a Villa side buoyed by a famous win over Bayern Munich, Ten Hag will have to find a way to inspire his players or face succumbing to a fourth league defeat in seven games.

“Erik’s resilient, he’s shown that but Villa Park is going to be so tough,” former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves told TNT Sports.

“It’s a big test and he needs to find a way to bounce back.

“Before the game, we’re highlighting they’ve got goalscoring issues. Today they had defensive issues. At times it looks like they get something sorted and then something else goes.

“There are a lot of issues, he’s [Erik ten Hag] been there for quite a while. There’ll be a lot of questions.”

Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the France squad for upcoming Uefa Nations League matches despite returning from injury this week.

The Real Madrid forward missed the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on Sunday with a thigh injury, but came off the bench during a surprise 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Despite recovering from the issue, France head coach Didier Deschamps has not selected the 25-year-old for matches against Israel and Belgium.

“I had an exchange with Kylian. He has a problem which is not serious. I am not going to take risks, which is why he is not in the squad,” Deschamps told reporters in Paris.

Mbappe has scored seven goals in 10 appearances since joining Real Madrid in the summer.

Another notable absentee is Antoine Griezmann, who announced his retirement from international football on Monday.

“He had such an impact that we can’t play in the same way,” Deschamps said of losing Griezmann, who retired aged 33 after winning 137 caps.

“I am not necessarily going to change the system, but I am not going to look for an equivalent player.”

Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku, who won the last of his 10 caps in June last year, returns to the squad, while midfielder N’Golo Kante misses out.

France will play their away fixture against Israel on Thursday, 10 October in Budapest due to security concerns in the Middle East.

Les Bleus will then face Belgium in Brussels on Monday, 14 October.

France are currently second in Group 2 of League A with three points after two games, while Italy are top with six points.

Dominic Solanke’s England call-up is a classic case of being in the right place at the right time – and the same applied to interim manager Lee Carsley when he conducted a scouting mission on Tottenham’s striker at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Solanke’s late development, which kicked into full gear at Bournemouth last season and led to a £65m summer move to Spurs, has seen him called into England’s squad for the first time since winning his only full cap as a 15-minute substitute in a goalless draw against Brazil at Wembley in November 2017.

It is also deserved reward for the sheer persistence of a player tipped for great things from when he was part of the England Under-17 team that won the European Championship in 2014, scoring in the final against the Netherlands in a game eventually won 4-1 on penalties.

Solanke only played one game for Chelsea and a move to Liverpool in July 2017 did not work out as he scored only once 27 games, his opportunities limited by being behind the world-class trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in then manager Jurgen Klopp’s pecking order.

He moved to Bournemouth for £19m in January 2019 and it was there that Solanke finally started to fulfil his potential, scoring 77 goals in 216 games, including 21 in 42 appearances last season.

Former Liverpool manager Klopp remained an admirer, however, saying before his side travelled to Bournemouth in January: “I’m so happy for Dom because when we signed him we were all so excited about the talent he had.

“He had so much potential, but it is Liverpool and we had other good strikers as well.

“Dom was probably not the most clinical yet, but the talent was obvious.”

The switch to Spurs has given the 27-year-old a bigger stage to showcase his qualities, but it was his display under the watchful gaze of Carsley in the 3-0 win at Manchester United that sealed his England inclusion.

Solanke did not just score Spurs’ third goal. He also gave a complete all-round display of the main striker’s art at a time when Carsley needs someone in that position.

Ivan Toney, who played at Euro 2024, has since decided to pursue his career in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ahli and is out of the England squad for now.

The statistics show how Solanke combined tireless running and work with potency against United, the central figure around which players such as Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski revolved to such great effect.