Jose Mourinho will be without three first-team players when Manchester United travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley on Sunday.
Manchester United will be aiming to enter the first international break of the season on a winning note, when they lock horns with a stuttering Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday. Jose Mourinho though, has one positive in that his roster issues have improved significantly ahead of the trip to face the Clarets.
Marcos Rojo has returned to training this week after recovering from a knock sustained during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Argentine should be in contention after the international break, alongside Diogo Dalot and Sergio Romero, who took their first major steps of returning to action this week after turning out for Manchester United’s under-23 side.
Mourinho too, spoke briefly about the improving fitness situation of his squad during his pre-match press conference, pointing towards Phil Jones being the only player on the treatment table due to a hamstring injury sustained against Tottenham in Gameweek 3.
“Jones is injured, as you can imagine. Dalot and Romero will play tonight at Old Trafford in an Under-23s match, which is a first match for them after knee surgeries and they need that a little bit but it’s good news for them because after that it’s the international break and then, after that, they’ll be in a real condition to play.”
“Marcos Rojo started training with the team a couple of days ago. He’s not ready for this match but he is training with the team.”
Jones’ absence means Mourinho will be forced to make at least one change to the starting lineup against Tottenham, and Eric Bailly should be the one returning to the side on Sunday. The rest of the back-four should remain unchanged, with Bailly joining Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw in defence.
In the middle of the park, a shift in system should see Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Fred line up in a traditional midfield trio for the first time ever, with Ander Herrera dropping to the bench. Upfront in attack, Herrera should make way for the second and final change for Manchester United.
Alexis Sanchez is expected to return to the starting lineup, with Mourinho deploying him on the left side of the Manchester United attack. Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard though, should retain their places, with Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata providing the firepower from the bench.
