Manchester United will be going into their UEFA Champions League group stage game against Atalanta with a lot of confidence after putting in a terrific performance at the weekend, which saw them beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford scoring for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. As a result, some of the pressure is off the Norwegian’s shoulders.
Solskjaer will know though that he still needs a run of good results. At the moment, one bad result will raise new questions about his future, especially with Antonio Conte looking set to become the Tottenham Hotspur manager.
Manchester United thrived in a new formation at the weekend, with three at the back and two up front. And one would expect Solskjaer to use that moving forward.
They already have one major problem though. As reported by Manchester United’s official website, Victor Lindelof has not been included in the squad after picking up a knock in training earlier.
Lindelof has been left out of Manchester United’s squad to face Atalanta
Following Raphael Varane’s earlier injury, Lindelof has featured regularly in Manchester United’s starting XI. And although the French World Cup winner is back now, he was expected to continue playing after Solskjaer’s change of formation to three at the back.
Now, it remains to be seen how Solskjaer will fill Lindelof’s void in the team. The most natural move would be to bring in Eric Bailly although Luke Shaw could serve as another option capable of playing in a back three. Of course, one cannot completely rule out the possibility of the Norwegian manager returning to a flat four-man backline once again.
Whatever turns out to be the case, one thing that is for certain is that Manchester United need to get a result out of this game. A defeat will open up the group once again. A draw will be better for the Red Devils. But a win is what they should be looking for.