Luke Shaw is set to return from suspension when Manchester United host Manchester City in the final Manchester derby of the season at Old Trafford.
Manchester United will be desperate to reignite their bid to finish in the top four when they play hosts to local rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. And, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has seen a key player become available for selection ahead of the crunch fixture.
Luke Shaw, who had missed the last couple of Premier League games due to a two-match ban he accrued after picking up his 10th yellow card of the season against Wolves, has served his suspension and is now at the disposal of the Manchester United manager.
Solskjaer was quizzed about the return of Shaw in an interview with MUTV, and he was full of praise for the young English full-back, who has been awarded the club’s Player of the Month award thrice this term. The Manchester United boss though, also urged Shaw to be more careful with his defensive actions so as to not pick up unnecessary bookings.
“Luke’s been very good. He’s disappointed that he’s missed the three games that he has. He knows he has to improve on that. Some of his yellow cards weren’t yellow cards but some of them are his fault where he’s taken the easy option. We’ve spoken about that. It’ll be great to have him back because, both defensively and in attack, he’s been one of our best players.”
While Shaw appears to be a certain starter on the left side of the defence, Diogo Dalot and Ashley Young will battle it out for the right-back slot. Young seems to be under the pump due to his underwhelming displays lately, meaning Diogo Dalot could get a chance to impress on the right side of the Manchester United defence.
The central defensive partnership should see a change as well, with Victor Lindelof moving from the right-back spot to the heart of the defence, slotting alongside Chris Smalling. Behind the defence, David de Gea picks himself in goal, with the Spaniard set to don the armband against Manchester City.
Up ahead in midfield, Nemanja Matic could be axed after faring poorly on his return against Everton. In his stead, Scott McTominay should start, with Fred starting as the deepest lying midfielder versus Manchester City, while Paul Pogba is an automatic selection.
The attacking unit gives Solskjaer slim pickings in terms of output. But, Anthony Martial might be the only one dropped on Wednesday, with Jesse Lingard replacing him. Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku should hold on to their spots, with Alexis Sanchez starting as a backup option on the bench.
