Manchester United travel to Villa Park on Sunday to face Unai Emery’s high-flying Aston Villa in the Premier League as they look to evade a trail of four successive outings without a win in all competitions.
A failure in beating Villa could result in Erik ten Hag’s firing during the international break and with the Dutchman bidding to save his job, here is a look at the Red Devils’ potential starting eleven.
Goalkeeper – Andre Onana will continue being the goalkeeper in spite of conceding six goals in his last two games. There is a severe lack of competition for his role in the team and as a result, the Cameroonian is a nailed on fixture in every starting eleven.
Defenders – Harry Maguire came off the bench to salvage a point against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday but may stay on the bench against Aston Villa. Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt are expected to play as the Man Utd centre backs.
Noussair Mazraoui will start as the right full back and Diogo Dalot will have a role on the left once more, with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia yet to recover from their injuries.
Mainoo and Ugarte return in midfield
Midfielders – Casemiro and Christian Eriksen will return to the bench against Aston Villa. Manuel Ugarte will return to the team and will play next to Kobbie Mainoo just ahead of the back four. The 19-year-old English youngster had an injury scare against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend but fears regarding a long-term absence have been alleviated.
Bruno Fernandes will play as the attacking midfielder and will captain Man Utd once again. Ten Hag already confirmed after the Porto game that he plans on using Marcus Rashford against Villa from the first whistle and therefore, he will feature on the team’s left hand side. There is likely to be a start on the right side for Alejandro Garnacho.
Forward – Rasmus Hojlund marked his first start of the season with a goal against Porto and will make his first Premier League appearance since May against Villa. If Manchester United stand any chance against the giant-killers from the midweek Champions League round, the Dane will have to make the most of his chances.
This is how United are expected to look on paper:
