Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, and Antony should start when Manchester United and Everton face off in the FA Cup on Friday.
Manchester United will look to progress to the FA Cup fourth round when they welcome Everton to Old Trafford on Friday night. And Erik ten Hag is close to having a full-strength squad ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Jadon Sancho remains on the sidelines as he continues to work on his fitness and mental conditioning. Donny van de Beek is the only other notable absentee after he sustained a knee injury against Bournemouth this week. And ten Hag spoke about van de Beek during an interaction with the club media.
The Manchester United boss responded to the question on the seriousness of the injury by saying, “Not yet. We are still doing investigations. Once we have it, once we finalise this process, we will bring an update.”
Widespread reports suggest van de Beek might have played his last game of the season. But ten Hag will soon provide an update on the timeline of the Dutchman’s return. Meanwhile, the Manchester United manager spoke about his decision to take off Anthony Martial midways through the second half.
Manchester United vs Everton Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
While confirming Martial’s availability, ten Hag said, “He’s available but it’s different. He came off but he didn’t play that much in the first half of the season so we have to bring him slowly back into 90 minutes. He can play 90 minutes but [if we’re playing him] in a row of games we have to protect him so he can have the strength, the power to deliver over 90 minutes, every third day.”
Martial should lead the line against Everton, considering he is fit and available. Meanwhile, Antony is also back after resuming training ahead of the FA Cup third-round clash. And the Brazilian winger should return on the right flank, with Marcus Rashford continuing on the left.
Considering ten Hag will likely rest the regulars in the Carabao Cup tie against Charlton Athletic next week, he should name his strongest lineup on Friday. So Casemiro and Christian Eriksen will continue in the double pivot in the middle of the park. And Bruno Fernandes will be the most advanced midfielder for the hosts.
Luke Shaw might be the only regular resting, considering his exertions since the season restarted. So Tyrell Malacia should start as the left-back on Friday, with Diogo Dalot returning on the right flank. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez should reunite in the central defensive partnership. And David de Gea will take his spot between the sticks on Friday.
Predicted Manchester United XI: de Gea; Dalot, Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
