Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in the Premier League in what will be the start of a defining three games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals, Liverpool, at Old Trafford last weekend which put Solskjaer on the brink of losing his job.
After much consideration, the Manchester United board have given him three games to turn the club’s fortunes around and consequently save his job.
The Norwegian will expect a big response from his side against Tottenham, who have their own problems under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Manchester United Team News
Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial have joined the team training and are pushing for returns after being injured whilst on international duty.
Paul Pogba was sent off for his two-footed tackle on Liverpool’s Naby Keita following VAR intervention that saw referee Anthony Taylor change the card colour from yellow to red. This has resulted in a three-match domestic suspension for the Frenchman commencing from the Tottenham game.
Predicted Manchester United Lineup vs Tottenham (4-4-2 diamond)
Goalkeeper
David De Gea has been outstanding this season and without his presence in goal, Manchester United would have shipped a lot more goals than they have done. After conceding five against Liverpool, he’ll look to keep a clean sheet in north London.
Defence
Raphael Varane’s return from injury is a big boost to Solskjaer and he’ll directly walk into the Manchester United lineup.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw’s form have dipped massively since returning from Euro 2020; yet, the duo will keep their places in the backline. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is expected to get the nod ahead of Diogo Dalot at right-back again.
Predicted Manchester United Lineup vs Tottenham
Midfield
The constant disconnect between midfield and attack will certainly cause Solskjaer to change the formation and freshen up things. A 4-4-2 diamond formation could be used with Nemanja Matic starting at the base of the midfield. Fred could be preferred over Scott McTominay while Paul Pogba’s red card might open the door for Donny Van de Beek to start his first Premier League game of the season.
Even though Bruno Fernandes has gone off the boil after a superb start to the campaign, he’s been an undisputed starter under Solskjaer and that won’t change on Saturday as well. The Portuguese will be the attacking tip of the Reds’ diamond midfield.
Attack
Upfront, Cristiano Ronaldo is a sure-shot fixture. He’ll be raring to get back among the goals in the Premier League against Spurs after last netting at West Ham in September.
The Portuguese superstar could find support in the form of Marcus Rashford, who has two goals in three games since returning from a shoulder surgery earlier this month.
The likes of Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Jesse Lingard will all have to hope they can make a telling impact from the bench if called upon against Nuno’s side.