Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford will start for Manchester United against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
Manchester United will be eager to bounce back from the midweek defeat to Sevilla and reach the FA Cup final when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the semi-final on Sunday evening. And Erik ten Hag has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Anthony Martial is an injury doubt after picking up a knock against Sevilla on Thursday. But the Frenchman has reportedly travelled with the squad to London. Meanwhile, Scott McTominay’s availability this weekend is unclear. In addition, Harry Maguire will not feature on Sunday due to a suspension.
The Manchester United captain has joined Tom Heaton (ankle), Lisandro Martinez (foot), Raphael Varane (ankle), Phil Jones (knee), Donny van de Beek (knee), and Alejandro Garnacho (ankle) on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag did not reveal any team news updates during his pre-match press conference. The Dutchman iterated that the backroom staff had not had enough time to ascertain the progress of a few players as they had not trained since Thursday’s game.
He said, “It is so short after the [final] whistle in Seville so I can’t give a comment on it. We didn’t train [yet], after training I will know more.”
While Martial has travelled with the squad to London, Wout Weghorst will likely start as the central striker. So the Frenchman will be an option on the bench. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford should return to the starting lineup after barely featuring in the last few games.
Rashford will start on the left flank, with Weghorst leading the line for Manchester United against Brighton. So Jadon Sancho and Martial will drop to the bench. Meanwhile, Antony will retain his spot on the right flank, while Bruno Fernandes will return after serving a European suspension.
The Portuguese international will don the captain’s armband in Maguire’s absence, reprising the no. 10 role. Behind Fernandes, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen should pair up again in the double pivot. So Marcel Sabitzer will drop to the bench and will be a solid backup option for ten Hag.
As for the defensive unit, Maguire’s absence means Luke Shaw will start as a makeshift centre-back. So Diogo Dalot will start as a left-back again, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka continuing on the right flank. Shaw will form the central defensive partnership alongside Victor Lindelof. And finally, David de Gea will retain his spot despite his howlers against Sevilla.
Predicted Manchester United XI: de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Dalot; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst
