Manchester United are looking to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 games this weekend as Erik ten Hag’s men make the trip to face Aston Villa.
The hosts recently sacked Steven Gerrard after a poor start to the season and Unai Emery, the former Arsenal and Villarreal manager, will be taking charge of his side for the first time against United.
With a full week of training under the Spaniard, Villa will be coming into the game with confidence and United face a quick turnaround after beating Real Sociedad on Thursday.
Alejandro Garnacho, the young Argentine, was the star of the show in San Sebastian and United’s growing injury concerns will offer him the opportunity to impress again.
Marcus Rashford was restricted to a substitute appearance against Sociedad and that means he’s highly likely to come back into the side against Villa, with Cristiano Ronaldo expected to drop out.
That would then leave space open for Garnacho to play on the left-hand side, with Ten Hag yet to confirm whether Antony, Jadon Sancho or Anthony Martial are available for the game.
All three players missed the trip to Spain but Martial returned to full training earlier this week. Sancho and Antony were both absent in the latest training session.
Bruno Fernandes played in an unusual position against Sociedad, operating from the right-hand side due to United’s lack of options. The Portuguese maestro is suspended for the trip to Villa and that should mean that Anthony Elanga plays in his place.
Casemiro has already become one of the first names on the teamsheet and he will be partnered by Scott McTominay or Fred depending on what Ten Hag is looking for.
The backline usually picks itself but it’s not completely clear who will partner Lisandro Martinez, with Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire both vying for a place in Raphael Varane’s absence.
Lindelof started the game against Sociedad but Maguire’s performance against West Ham last week was promising, indicating that he could be reintroduced on Sunday.
Predicted Manchester United line-up (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Elanga, Eriksen, Garnacho; Rashford
