Daniel Farke may have slept better on Tuesday night than he did before Bournemouth, with Grant Hanley in line to replace the suspended Ben Godfrey at Tottenham.
The Norwich City head coach revealed at his pre-match press call dropping the Scottish international, for a reviving weekend league win over the Cherries, felt like a huge call.
But Godfrey's red card earns Hanley a swift reprieve.
"It was an unbelievably tough decision. One of the reasons why you don't sleep very well as a head coach, and you use up a lot of energy thinking about it," said Farke. "Ben was so important for us, playing for nearly a year without a break with a really good level of performance, but Grant fulfilled everything I was asking for when he came back in.
"To leave him out for Bournemouth was so tough. Of course Grant wasn't dancing on the tables but he stayed focused and professional.
"Then it was a tricky time to come in, after Ben's red card, because that 15 or 20 minutes can sometime be the crunch time of the game.
"You need competition as a coach. For weeks there was no such problems. Before Manchester United we had to monitor the training load because we were running out of players."
City turned in a below-par display at Old Trafford in their previous away game, although they did push Tottenham all the way over the festive spell.
Harry Kane salvaged a point from the penalty spot in a 2-2 draw but there will can be no repeat on Wednesday evening in north London with the England captain recovering from hamstring surgery.
"No Kane but in comparison to the Carrow Road game they have Son to bring in, who is also a key player for them, and Lucas Moura has stepped in well in recent matches," said Farke.
"They have top class players and many more options. For such a big club to handle an injury is not the same as a smaller club like ourselves.
"We don't have to speak about how important Harry Kane is. One of the best strikers in Europe, a player who makes the difference. I love him a lot and, yes, it could be an advantage but sometimes when you concentrate on one player others can shine.
"We analysed Manchester United very self-critically. Out of a failure you learn the most.
"This experience should help us mentally for Tottenham, because to be competitive there you have to be on the top of your game. We have proved this season if we are good in our topics we definitely have a chance."
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