Anthony Martial is a major doubt, but Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford will return when Manchester United face Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
Manchester United will be desperate to keep their fading Premier League title hopes alive when they play hosts to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Sunday evening. And, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Phil Jones remains a long-term absentee for Manchester United due to a knee injury. In addition, Solskjaer is sweating over the fitness of Victor Lindelof and Anthony Martial, with Juan Mata a doubt to take on Brighton as well. The good news, though, comes in the form of Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood’s potential availability for the game.
Speaking to the Manchester United media, Solskjaer provided an update on Rashford, Greenwood, Martial and Lindelof while also shedding some light on the goalkeeping situation, now that David de Gea is back at his disposal.
The Manchester United boss said, “They [Marcus and Mason] need to get through the session tomorrow [Saturday]. They both joined in this morning and hopefully they don’t get any reaction. If they complete the session tomorrow they’ll be available for selection. Neither of them [Anthony nor Victor] trained this morning. We are still waiting for final confirmation on how they are.”
“You know, I have a great option of two top goalkeepers and it’s a pleasure to have them right here. We’ve got, hopefully, nine plus five games to go because we want to go all the way in the Europa League, so I’m sure you’ll see both of them playing in goal for us.”
Judging by Solskjaer’s comments, it looks like Martial and Lindelof could miss out for Manchester United against Brighton. In Martial’s stead, Edinson Cavani should lead the line for United, with Bruno Fernandes returning to the side to reprise the no. 10 role. Out wide, Rashford ought to start, with Daniel James coming in for Greenwood on the right flank.
In midfield, Nemanja Matic is likely to drop out, with Paul Pogba dropping into the double pivot to accommodate the returning Rashford. Pogba will likely have Fred for company in the middle of the park, with Matic, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek being rotation options.
As for defence, Lindelof’s potential unavailability means Eric Bailly will pair up with captain Harry Maguire at the heart of the Manchester United backline, with Luke Shaw replacing Alex Telles in the left-back berth while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a certainty on the right flank. Finally, in goal, Dean Henderson could retain his spot ahead of David de Gea.
Manchester United Predicted XI: Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw; Pogba, Fred; James, Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani
