After a narrow 1-0 win against Leicester City on Saturday, Manchester United host Kazakh club Astana on Thursday night. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will want to get off to a good start in the Europa League and get a win in their very first match.
The Red Devils had quite a few injuries to key players before the Leicester City match and most of them are expected to be back for the West Ham game. Solskjaer could field a young side in the Europa League with the big names on the bench, especially when they are having an injury crisis.
United No. 1 David de Gea, who signed a new contract with the Red Devils, could drop to the bench for this game as Solskjaer could use Sergio Romero for cup competitions.
Solskjaer could also replace United’s first-choice centre-back pairing of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, and play two of Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo or Axel Tuanzebe. Rojo could move to left-back and we could see Jones and Tuanzebe playing as the two centre-backs in the Man United lineup.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka may drop to the bench as he was suffering an injury before the Leicester City game, and Solskjaer may want to protect him for the game against West Ham United on Sunday. Diogo Dalot is not fit yet which means that Ashley Young could move over to the right-back position.
In midfield, Fred could get his first start of the season after coming on as a substitute against the Foxes. He could be joined in midfield by Nemanja Matic, who started the game against Leicester City last time around.
19-year-old Angel Gomes could also get his first start of the season against Astana, and he could play in the No. 10 role that Juan Mata played in against Leicester City in the Man United lineup.
Daniel James has started four of the five games this season for Manchester United and has become a key player for Solskjaer. We could maybe see him get a rest with Tahith Chong replacing him in the team.
17-year-old Mason Greenwood could lead the line for Manchester United as Solskjaer may want to keep Rashford fit for the game against the Hammers. Andreas Pereira could start on the right side of attack in the Man United lineup, as he did against Leicester City.
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