Manchester United have been hit by a string of injuries during the international break and will Louis Van Gaal will have to deal with the striker shortage that the pundits had been predicting since the beginning of the season.
The international break proved costly for United as Anthony Martial left Wembley stadium on crutches after France vs. England, now with Wayne Rooney suffering from illness and James Wilson not match fit, Louis Van Gaal was left scratching his head as to who will lead the attack.
Big Problem For Van Gaal
Louis Van Gaal admitted to having a ‘big’ problem before the match. a Rooney came back ill after the break. I have only seen him once, the day after the internationals, and then he was at home. I dona t think he can play.a he said, according to The Guardian.
a [James] Wilson can play but he cannot play a whole match because he doesna t have the rhythm of the game. Everybody knows Michael Carrick and Anthony Martial are injured, but also injured is Fellaini. Thata s a surprise because I thought he was recovered after the international break, but still he is injured. And thata s a big blow because Rooney is ill, so we have a big problem, I think.a
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Defensive midfield duo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin may also want to give the game a miss, after being involved in the ill fated France- Germany game at the Stade de France. a It is also a question if the players wants to play or not to play but I cannot say anything about that. Thata s my total human being principle that I always look in the eyes and I communicate with players.”
Memphis’ Time To Shine
The best option that LVG has right now is to put Memphis Depay up front in the striker’s position. This will be the first time he will start a premier league game for the Red Devils after he was taken off at half time in the match against Arsenal and the young Dutchman will have plenty to prove if he is given the opportunity during this match.
He has so far scored only once in the premier league. a far cry from the 22 goals he scored last season for PSV Eindhoven. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to take up the gauntlet in the match versus watford, but with all the injuries to first team players. This seems like the biggest opportunity for the 21 year old to cement a place in the starting XI and prove why he was touted as one of the world’s best young players.