Manchester United make the short trip over to Wigan tonight for an 8.15pm kick-off in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Red Devils have had nine days to process their dismal Premier League defeat away to Nottingham Forest and while this evening’s opposition ranks two divisions lower, Erik ten Hag will be demanding a spirited performance from his men in hopes of bouncing back at the earliest opportunity.
Rasmus Hojlund was absent at the City Ground due to illness, which made him unable to quickly capitalise on scoring his maiden league goal on Boxing Day. Against Forest, United’s leveller was provided by Marcus Rashford, but very little threat was shown by the attack across the 90 minutes.
Hojlund returns for FA Cup clash
Alas, supporters will be pleased to hear that Hojlund will be back at Ten Hag’s disposal against Wigan Athletic and is in line to make his debut in the competition. The manager may opt to field a more rotated starting 11 to rest some key players ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, but the young Dane will likely return to the frontline.
When asked if Hojlund was “okay” for the tie, the Dutch manager told reporters (as cited by ManUtd.com): “No, he will return. He dropped out shortly before the [Forest] game, he was unwell for that game. The day before we expected him to play, but he dropped out shortly before the game. He is now back in training.”
