In their pursuit of a third consecutive victory, Manchester United are set to receive a massive boost in the form of a return to action for Chris Smalling who hasn’t featured since his side’s 4-0 loss to Chelsea almost two months ago.
It is a welcome return to action for Chris Smalling who will be expected to walk straight into the line-up after Eric Bailly was ruled out due to the injury he suffered during Manchester United’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. He will be expected to partner Phil Jones in a back-line featuring Daley Blind and the returning Antonio Valencia in full-back positions.
Valencia will feature against the Baggies after he was rested for the trip to Crystal Palace. The Ecuadorian has been a major positive for the Red Devils with his attacking verve giving his side the edge on the right flank. It was Ivorian international Eric Bailly that slotted into his full-back role in his absence at Selhurst Park.
The summer signing was returning after a two month lay-off due to a ligament injury and hence the fans and manager were understandably disappointed and concerned when he picked up a fresh knee injury. However, the defender has confirmed on social media that the knock to the knee wasn’t as serious as viewed originally and that he will be back in action soon, not enough though for the clash at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Luke Shaw are among the others that are set to miss out on the West Brom encounter with the former potentially ruled out for the remainder of 2016. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been a constant performer across all competitions for United and has already featured in 24 games for the club scoring 14 goals in the process.
So when asked about whether the Swede would be rested on Saturday, Mourinho responded, “He is doing phenomenal. Tomorrow he is going to play again, then one week to rest. He will play again tomorrow but he cannot play 60 matches. I must give him a rest. Now and again I find a way to.”
