Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is likely to revert to a four-man backline, when his side host Chelsea in the Premier League.
Manchester United will be aiming to return to winning ways and keep their hopes of a top four hopes alive, when they take on rivals Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
It has been a difficult month and a half for Manchester United, as they have managed to win just twice in nine matches in all competitions since their historic comeback in the Champions League against PSG. With the race for the top four going down to the wire, the Red Devils cannot afford any more slip-ups at this juncture.
Ahead of the game, all the spotlight will be on Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. The Spaniard has been guilty of making a number of uncharacteristic errors this season and had an ordinary outing against Manchester City earlier in the week, leading to question marks over his spot in the starting XI.
However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that he will be sticking with de Gea for the Chelsea clash. Speaking of his goalkeeper in his pre-match presser, the Norwegian exclaimed that he has no doubts that the Spaniard will return to his best level soon enough.
“I trust David and he’s, for me, been the best player United have had in the last six or seven years.He’s been absolutely outstanding and going through tough patches is just part of a footballer’s career. David will be fine, no worries.”
Having switched to a three-man defence for the Manchester derby earlier this week, Solskjaer is likely to move back to a four-man backline. Ashley Young and Luke Shaw are expected to line up as the full-backs for the home team, while Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling should continue at the heart of the defence, despite Eric Bailly’s return to full fitness.
There have been a couple of boosts for Manchester United in the midfield as well, as Ander Herrera and Scott McTominay have recovered from their injuries and are ready to return to action.
Speaking of Herrera, who is reportedly on the verge of signing for PSG in the summer, Solskjaer said, “[There are] three games left of the season and Ander has been training, he’s been enthusiastic. I think he’s fit enough to be involved on Sunday. I can’t guarantee it, because there’s still two days left, but he’s trained the last two days.”
However, considering that he has played only twice in over a month, Herrera might not be handed a start on Sunday, with Solskjaer instead opting to go with McTominay in the midfield. Fred had a poor game against City and is likely to make way for Nemanja Matic, who did not feature in the midweek game. Paul Pogba will complete the midfield for the Red Devils.
Marcus Rashford is a guaranteed starter in attack for Manchester United. The Englishman is likely to be partnered by Anthony Martial, with both likely to line up in the strike partnership. Jesse Lingard should start in a slightly withdrawn position through the middle.
