Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has named his starting eleven to face Reading in the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
The Norwegian has had a perfect start to life as caretaker manager at Manchester United and the objective today is to continue that with progression in the cup.
Our opponents today are currently 23rd in the Championship – 5 points clear of last place Ipswich Town – so we really shouldn’t be having any difficulty winning this game. Their -13 goal difference in the second tier of English football will have Solskjaer’s attacking players rubbing their hands together.
The Reds are unbeaten in 16 games across all competitions against Reading, winning the last five – a run that started in the FA Cup back in January 1936, and Solskjaer will be looking to increase that this afternoon.
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This is Solskjaer’s first FA Cup fixture in charge as United manager and considering his job is part-time, running until the end of the season, there’s every chance he will want to see it out with cup success. It’s definitely worth having on his CV and he will see it as a way to work towards restoring a winning mentality in the dressing room.
Garner and Chong are named as substitutes, so everyone will be hoping to see at least one of the young lads make an appearance from the bench against Reading.
In the starting line-up, the defence takes a shape up while David de Gea gets a rest with Sergio Romero starting. Meanwhile Scott McTominay, Fred and Andreas Pereira take up the midfield positions.
Up front we will get to see Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in action. There is plenty of quality there to beat Reading.
See the full line-up below, confirmed by the official Manchester United Twitter account (@ManUtd):
The #MUFC starting line-up is in! 📝
Get reaction to today’s team news in our Official App: https://t.co/gkCudvePLt pic.twitter.com/LSHdjjQ3tF
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 5, 2019
The match will be broadcast live on BT Sport 2.
