Manchester United look to end the year on a high when they take on Bournemouth this afternoon. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men will be hoping to make it three wins on the bounce after their recent resurgence in form, but with big names back in the squad who will the Norwegian pick?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed this week that Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial had returned to training ahead of the visit of Bournemouth. But will they return to the starting XI?
Solskjaer has been keen to stress that all players will be given chances throughout his time as interim manager at Old Trafford but with the form of Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford proving difficult for opponents to live with, will the Norwegian boss make the swap.
The three of them have been directly involved in 14 goals in the last six games and Jesse Lingard has been the standout. The United academy graduate has scored three and assisted two in his last three appearances.
And in terms of academy graduates, the next batch of young reds have been training with the first team this week. Angel Gomes, who came on for a few minutes against Huddersfield, James Garner, Joshua Bohui, Ro-Shaun Williams and Mason Greenwood have all trained alongside the senior squad at Carrington in recent weeks.
But with the star names returning to the squad, will Solskjaer continue to blood the younger players in the side? Our expert writers pick their United XI’s for the match against Bournemouth.
Ali Akbar
Although Lingard, Rashford and Mata played well against Huddersfield, none of them found the net. Now Solskjaer has an opportunity to play an entirely different front line which, at least on paper, looks to have more potential for goals.
Dalot was good going forward against Huddersfield but his defensive position left much to be desired. Young is a more balanced full-back and can also help United out at set pieces against Bournemouth.
David De Gea
Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw
Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba
Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial
Ollie Slack
I too see today’s match as a chance to give opportunities to a few players, however, with Arsenal dropping points United need to win.
The back four didn’t look safe against Huddersfield at all, therefore, Ashley Young coming back in should give the side a better chance at dealing with Bournemouth’s counter-attacks. Eric Bailly should also come back into the side to be given a chance at solidifying the back line.
I agree with Ali, that Herrera has been in good form recently and Fred struggled against Huddersfield, but dropping him would not help him improve and think this United should still be strong enough to beat Bournemouth irrespective of who plays next to Matic and Pogba.
Finally, as well as Lingard has done, I want to see Alexis be given another opportunity in a United shirt. It’s a fresh start for him having come back from injury and he must grab his opportunity with a manager who’s playing style suits his attributes better. Mata should start in order to keep the Red Devil’s attacks flowing and Rashford offers a lot more as a striker than Lukaku.
David De Gea
Ashley Young, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw
Fred, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba
Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford, Alexis Sanchez