Anthony Martial and Tyrell Malacia will start, but Luke Shaw will be unavailable for Manchester United against Everton on Saturday.
Manchester United will look to consolidate their place in the top four when they welcome Everton to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. And Erik ten Hag has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Luke Shaw will not feature against Everton after sustaining a hamstring injury against Brentford. The English international will not be out for long. But ten Hag did not put an exact timestamp on his return during his pre-match press conference. Meanwhile, the Dutch tactician gave a positive update on Christian Eriksen.
“Luke Shaw is not available for tomorrow. And we have to see how it progresses in the coming week. The good news is Christian Eriksen is back in training and he will be back tomorrow in the squad.”
“I think it was not for nothing,” ten Hag said of Eriksen’s injury. “I was so angry about that tackle and he was away – at first we feared we had lost him for the whole season but he worked very well. Think the medical department did really well and in togetherness he is already returning to the squad and so is available for the final stages of the season. We are very pleased with that.”
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Eriksen’s impending return to the matchday squad means Casemiro (suspension), Donny van de Beek (knee), and Alejandro Garnacho (ankle) are the only remaining absentees. Otherwise, ten Hag has a full-strength squad at his disposal this weekend.
There is no looking past David de Gea between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Meanwhile, Shaw’s absence means Tyrell Malacia will start as the left-back. The Dutchman will join Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the backline.
Scott McTominay was solid against Brentford earlier this week. But with games coming thick and fast, ten Hag must keep his troops fresh. So Fred will replace McTominay in the midfield unit, with Marcel Sabitzer his partner in the double pivot. Meanwhile, Eriksen will likely appear off the bench later in the game.
As for the offensive unit, Anthony Martial should start, replacing Jadon Sancho in the starting lineup. So Marcus Rashford will move to the left-wing berth, with Anthony featuring on the right flank. Bruno Fernandes is an automatic pick to reprise the no. 10 role, with Martial spearheading the attack.
Predicted Manchester United XI: de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Fred, Sabitzer; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Martial