Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been handed a massive opportunity heading into Manchester United’s crucial game against Liverpool this Sunday.
The signing of Edinson Cavani on the deadline day of the last summer transfer window caused exasperation rather than solace within the Manchester United fanbase. His ‘advanced’ age led the majority of them to believe that the club were wrong to sign the Uruguayan.
With almost three months past since his arrival at Old Trafford, they now know why United went on to sign Cavani, even if it was a panic buy.
He began his goalscoring trail with a cameo against Everton in the Premier League; then came the heroics against Southampton. Cavani is thought to be a breath of fresh air in the juvenile Manchester United attack, which is a bit ironic.
His presence has given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to ponder upon his starting eleven once again. And the Norwegian has come up with changing the pattern of his frontline. In this altered edition, he uses Cavani as the central forward, Anthony Martial on the left-wing and Marcus Rashord on the right.
Against Burnley in the mid-week, the same pattern worked, creating a plethora of chances but scoring only one goal by the end of the ninety minutes. Just before the final whistle, Solskjaer made a necessary change, bringing in Axel Tuanzebe for Anthony Martial.
Martial kept on hobbling down the pitch to eventually reach the touchline, showing some sort of discomfort in his right leg. It came to light that he had injured his right hamstring while attempting a shot in the dying minutes.
As reported by Daily Mail, the Martial injury is not as bad as initially expected. And it has been suggested that the Frenchman will be given ‘as much time as possible’ to prove that he is fit to play United’s fierce rivals, Liverpool, on Sunday.
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Following the win over Burnley, United players had a day off, as suggested by the respective story. Hence, the medical team would start reassessing Martial’s injury from Thursday.
If Martial somehow fails to prove himself fit for the weekend – which could be likely, then Solskjaer would have to play with a diamond midfield and two forwards in the 4-4-2 formation or pick one of Juan Mata, Mason Greenwood, and Daniel James to fill the void caused by the Frenchman’s absence.
Manchester United currently sit atop of the 2020-21 Premier League table. A win over second-placed Liverpool could help United strengthen their dominance at the zenith.
With the number of injuries that Jurgen Klopp’s side have suffered this season and their poor form in recent weeks, it is a massive opportunity for the Red Devils to increase their lead at the top of the league. A defeat though will provide the opportunity to the chasing to catch up. It is a double edged sword.