Matheus Cunha will return to the Manchester United starting lineup against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Manchester United will be desperate to return to winning ways when they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford on Saturday evening. Ruben has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Mason Mount (muscular) and Matheus Cunha (hamstring) are fit and available after recovering from their minor issues. So, Lisandro Martinez (knee) and Diogo Dalot (knock) are the only absentees for the home side, with the duo likely to return next month.
Additionally, Tyrell Malacia is gradually regaining fitness, and he will eventually be in contention to feature in the Red Devils’ squads. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Amorim provided brief fitness updates on Dalot, Martinez, Malacia, Mount, and Cunha.
The Manchester United manager said, “Dalot is out. Mason is in the squad. Cunha is in the squad. Licha is still out. I think that is it. He is returning to contact with team-mates and the ball in the Under-21s. Then we will see.”
Meanwhile, Amorim spoke further about Martinez and the timeline for his return. He said, “It’s really important [the mental impact of Martinez’s return to the pitch]. When you have that injury, you have that time where you recover a lot of things really hard, then there is the boring part where it looks like you don’t go to the next step.”
The Manchester United manager continued, “We miss a lot Licha, especially in this moment, we miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him. But he’s always there in every meeting. In training, he sometimes finishes his and stays to watch the training. We need Licha in this team.”
Senne Lammens should get the nod for his Manchester United debut against Chelsea after another dreadful display by Altay Bayindir last weekend against Manchester City. The home side will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of the Belgian shot-stopper, with the central defensive unit featuring Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Luke Shaw.
Meanwhile, Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu will start as the two wing-backs. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro in the middle of the park. Finally, Benjamin Sesko will lead the line for the home side against Chelsea, with Bryan Mbeumo and the fit-again Cunha completing the numbers in the offensive third.
Predicted Manchester United XI: Lammens; Yoro, de Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko