Raphael Varane and Mason Greenwood will return while Victor Lindelof will drop to the bench when Manchester United take on West Ham on Sunday.
Manchester United will hope to bounce back from their midweek defeat in the UEFA Champions League when they lock horns with West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday. And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not have any fresh injury concerns to deal with ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
In fact, the Manchester United manager will be delighted with the developments surrounding Marcus Rashford, who has rejoined training this week. The game against West Ham, though, will have come too soon for the English international.
In addition to Rashford, Alex Telles (ankle), Phil Jones (match fitness), Scott McTominay (groin), Amad Diallo (hamstring) and Edinson Cavani (knock) all remain sidelined as well. Otherwise, Solskjaer has all of his resources available to him, including Fred, who was not involved last week due to the confusion surrounding the ban that FIFA had initially handed to Brazilian players.
During his pre-match press conference, there was not a lot of discussion on the team news updates, with the focus instead being on Manchester United’s defeat in the UEFA Champions League to BSC Young Boys. The only relevant topic pertained to Edinson Cavani and when he would be available again.
Solskjaer said Cavani was closing in on his return but suggested he will not feature against West Ham. The Manchester United boss said, “Edinson hopefully will start training with us after the weekend. Hopefully, maybe Monday. Maybe he’ll be involved on Wednesday because he’s had a fantastic season last season.”
The impact he made towards the end of it when he got his fitness…because he struggled early on with fitness, he struggled with niggles. We feel now to get the best out of Edinson this season we need him to have one hundred per cent fit and not pushing.”
“We’ve got a strong squad that will cope with having to let players heal and [so we] don’t risk any further injuries. I see Edinson having a massive impact because he’s that type of personality and a player. He’s a top professional and he can’t wait to get back on. He’s working really hard to get back on the pitch.”
With Cavani still unavailable and Anthony Martial now a backup option, Cristiano Ronaldo will once again lead the line for Manchester United, only getting a rest next time out against West Ham in the midweek Carabao Cup fixture. Mason Greenwood, meanwhile, will be the major player back in the side after being omitted from the starting lineup against Young Boys.
Greenwood will take up his usual spot on the right wing, with Jadon Sancho moving out to the left flank. Bruno Fernandes will reprise his usual no. 10 role, with Paul Pogba moving back into a role in the midfield double pivot alongside Fred, meaning Donny van de Beek will be back on the bench.
As for the defence, Raphael Varane ought to come in for Victor Lindelof as Harry Maguire’s partner at the heart of Manchester United’s backline, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw will be the two full-backs. In goal, there is no looking past David de Gea, especially with Dean Henderson yet to regain complete fitness.
Predicted Manchester United XI: de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, Pogba; Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho; Ronaldo
