Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel insists he has nothing personal against Matthijs de Ligt.
The defender is being linked with Manchester United as he struggles for minutes this season.
Tuchel said: At Bayern we always think about who is best suited against a particular opponent. We wanted to press extremely high against Leverkusen.
It was a last minute decision."
Tuchel continued: We wanted to defend three against three in the last row against Leverkusen and knew that we needed four central defenders in the squad. It wasn't a decision against Matthijs, it was very close.
"At Bayern you simply fight for your place. This is a completely normal situation."