The Red Devils head to Rotterdam in the Netherlands this Thursday, as they come up against Eredivisie club Feyenoord in their Europa League group stage game.
Manchester United will be without several key players though, including captain Wayne Rooney. Manager Jose Mourinho stated that he feels the English striker needs to be fresh for the Premier League game on Sunday, and he has more than enough choices in that area.
“He has played every game since the start of the season,” said Mourinho ahead of the game, according to the official club website.
“He has also played 90 minutes for the England team. He played 90 minutes last weekend and I want him to be fresh for the next Premier League match. In the position he plays, I have lots of solutions and people [so] it has been really hard to have a chance.”
Two other big names missing will be full-backs Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw, who have also been left behind in Manchester by Mourinho.
“Also, Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw did not travel with the team. They are positions where I have other solutions, fresh players for this game and fresh players for the game next Sunday.”
As far as injuries go, Armenian play maker Henrikh Mkhitaryan is out with a thigh injury and defender Phil Jones is out for a month after suffering a knee injury.
This could prove to be a big chance for many of the squad players to make an impression on Jose Mourinho. The manager has already stated that Marcos Rojo is likely to play at left-back, while he can play either Matteo Darmian or Tim Fos-Mensah at right-back.
The match against Feyenoord could also see teenage striker Marcus Rashford make his first start this season for the Red Devils. The Europa League was the competition where Rashford first burst onto the scene last season, and he will be hungry for action after being mostly left on the bench in this campaign.
Midfielders Ander Herrera and Morgan Schneiderlin will also want to be in on the action this Thursday, as Mourinho will take the chance to explore his midfield options in this game.
