Scott McTominay will return to the Manchester United starting lineup against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday.
Manchester United will look to build on the comeback win over Aston Villa when they lock horns with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday evening. And Erik ten Hag has many fitness issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Luke Shaw (muscle injury), Lisandro Martinez (foot), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Victor Lindelof (groin), Harry Maguire (groin), Sofyan Amrabat (muscle injury), Casemiro (thigh), and Mason Mount (calf) remain in the treatment room.
In addition, Anthony Martial has yet to recover from an illness and will not take on Nottingham Forest this weekend. Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho’s exile from the first-team picture continues due to his ongoing tiff with the manager.
Amad Diallo has been closing in on returning to action and might take the field soon for Manchester United. But that will not be on Saturday, with Erik ten Hag revealing in his pre-match press conference that the Red Devils will field an unchanged squad against Nottingham Forest, who he spoke about.
He said, “So, it will be a similar squad as we had against Villa. You see with them [Forest], the reaction when the new manager is coming in, you see the spirit. We have to be ready for that and it’s always about us, but be aware of it. They have the right spirit and they built the confidence but we did as well, so we have to continue in the performance.”
The Dutchman was optimistic about the impending return of several players. He said, “I think in mid-January, we expect many players back. Mason, Casemiro, Martinez, [Tyrell] Malacia [and] we expect Harry Maguire [back] of course. We expect many players to return in January.”
With Shaw unavailable, Diogo Dalot will continue as the left-back, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka featuring on the right flank. Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans should form the central defensive pairing, with Andre Onana taking his usual spot between the sticks.
The midfield unit should see the only change in the starting lineup, with Scott McTominay replacing Christian Eriksen. While Eriksen was solid against Aston Villa, his advancing years mean he cannot start two games in a week. So, McTominay will accompany Kobbie Mainoo in the double pivot.
Bruno Fernandes will reprise his usual no. 10 role, with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho being the two wide attackers. Garnacho excelled in his first-ever start as a right-winger. So, he will look to grow into the position. Finally, Rasmus Hojlund will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Nottingham Forest.
Predicted Manchester United XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Evans, Dalot; Mainoo, McTominay; Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
