Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is set to ring in the changes, when his side faces off against Watford at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Manchester United will wind up their 2017-18 Premier League campaign with their final match of the season against Watford at the Old Trafford.
The Red Devils confirmed second spot on the league table following their goalless draw against West Ham United during the midweek and will have their eyes firmly set on the FA Cup finals against Chelsea the upcoming week. And the manager will be hoping that his side builds up some steam ahead of the crucial clash with a victory against Javi Gracia’s Hornets at home.
Following the midweek encounter against the Hammers, Mourinho revealed that he will be making wholesale changes to the side for Sunday’s encounter with the cup finals looming, in the process confirming that Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero will start the match, ahead of Golden Glove winner David De Gea.
Speaking to the press, the Portuguese said, “Romero plays on Sunday because he deserves that and some other players are going to play because we as a team achieve the second position and we, as a team, are going to play the FA Cup final.”
It will mark the first Premier League appearance of the season for the 31-year old. The back four is likely to comprise of Antonio Valencia at right-back and Daley Blind on the opposite side, with Eric Bailly set to come back into the starting lineup alongside Phil Jones at the heart of the Manchester United defence.
Coming to the midfield department, Manchester United will once again be without the services of Belgian international Marouane Fellaini as he recovers from a muscle injury. Mourinho had already confirmed that club captain and retiring midfielder Michael Carrick will be starting for the Red Devils on Sunday last week and reiterated the same after the West Ham game.
“It is normal that Michael Carrick is captain at Old Trafford for the last game of his career,” the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager said.
The veteran Englishman is likely to be paired up with club record signing Paul Pogba in a two-man pivot, with Nemanja Matic likely to be given a breather ahead of the cup finals.
Mourinho also confirmed that Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, all of who weren’t part of the starting lineup for the draw against West Ham United, will be featuring from kick-off against Watford.
With the team likely to set out in a 4-2-3-1 setup, expect Mata to take the right-flank while Martial is likely to start out on the opposite side. Jesse Lingard, who did play from the start on Thursday night, could be retained in the No.10 role.
And in the continued absence of leading goalscorer Romelu Lukaku with an ankle injury, Rashford will once again be provided with an opportunity to lead the line on Sunday and stake a claim for a spot in the lineup for the FA Cup finals.
