Manchester United have the chance to move into third in the Premier League following Newcastle United’s defeat to Arsenal on Sunday evening.
United are winless in their last two league games but could now take a major step towards confirming their Champions League status for next season.
The late 1-0 defeat to Brighton this week was a sickening blow for Erik ten Hag’s men and the Dutchman has made a number of changes from that game, with Wout Weghorst among those to be returning to the team.
The former Bundesliga marksman has been out of the side for an extended period following Anthony Martial’s return from injury but he has now been offered the chance to impress once more.
Christian Eriksen is also back in the team after being replaced by Fred against Brighton, with young star Alejandro Garnacho returning to the side after a lengthy spell in the treatment room.
Speaking ahead of the game, Ten Hag explained some of the thinking behind those decisions as he looks to guide his side back into third.
“The last 15, 20 minutes [against Brighton] was really bad, really bad performance,” Ten Hag told BT Sport, via the Manchester Evening News.
“They are not our standards, so we have to get back to our high standards. We have to go back to our high standards and you have to do it always, every game. You know with Christian [Eriksen], we get football, we get rotation, we get key passes and final passes.
“(Garnacho is) back for the last games of the season and he had a huge impact also from the bench, so yeah, he’s back. It’s always a tough game against West Ham, they have strong players individually.”
After this game, United will have a full week of rest for the first time since September after a highly turbulent season of fixtures, with United playing every single game available to them so far.
The Reds have played more games than any other club in Europe so far this season and that has taken its toll on the squad.
