Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire are likely to start, but Cristiano Ronaldo is a major doubt as Manchester United get set to take on Leicester City.
Manchester United will be raring to get back to winning ways when they host Leicester City in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. Heading into the game, manager Ralf Rangnick has one new roster issue as Edinson Cavani picked up an injury on international duty and is sidelined for a few weeks.
“Yeah, they all seem to be fit. The only player who is injured, unfortunately again, is Edinson Cavani. In his second game, he had to be substituted after 25 minutes with some calf problems. According to the doctor, he will be out for a couple of weeks, four weeks, maybe even five weeks. So we have to wait and see. That’s obviously bad news to have another striker missing out,” Rangnick said in his pre-match presser.
At the same time, though, Cristiano Ronaldo could also be unavailable for selection. According to Manchester Evening News, the Portuguese superstar was not seen with the rest of the squad when they arrived at the team hotel on Friday night, with the 37-year-old likely to be missing due to personal reasons.
Rangnick could make a few changes to the team that lost to Atletico Madrid in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash before the international break. However, no alterations are expected in goal with David de Gea the undisputed starter. Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka could come into the side at the expense of Alex Telles and Diogo Dalot, respectively.
Harry Maguire, who was jeered by the England supporters during the recent international break, should start and captain the Manchester United team against Leicester City. As usual, he will likely be partnered by Raphael Varane with Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly options on the bench for the hosts.
Moving into the middle of the park, Scott McTominay is a shoo-in at the base of the three-man midfield unit. Fred, who had an arduous travelling schedule during the break, could be given a breather here, with Paul Pogba likely to come into the starting XI. Bruno Fernandes, who signed a new contract on Friday, will take up the third slot in the centre.
As far as the attacking unit is concerned, Ronaldo’s potential absence comes as a major blow for Manchester United. With Ronaldo unavailable and Cavani also ruled out, Marcus Rashford could be handed the opportunity to lead the line for the Red Devils against Leicester City. Flanking the academy product should be Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga.
Manchester United Predicted XI: de Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, Fernandes, McTominay, Pogba, Elanga, Rashford, Sancho
Please start Fred rather than Pogba.