Manchester United were nowhere near their best against Aston Villa in their third round FA Cup tie and one could argue that Steven Gerrard’s side were the better team on the day. That did not matter though as the Red Devils managed to hold on to their early 1-0 lead, as Scott McTominay proved to be the matchwinner on the day. As a result, they will advance to the next round, where they have been handed a relatively easier tie, against Middlesbrough.
Aston Villa must be disappointed not to get anything out of the game despite their good performance away at Old Trafford. It is not long though before they will face Manchester United once again.
The two sides will meet each other next Saturday, this time in the Premier League and away at Villa Park. And it is safe to say that Gerrard’s side will be hoping for a different result on that occasion.
Heading into the game, there appears to be some good news for Manchester United though as Harry Maguire and Phil Jones could be back available on Saturday. As reported by the club’s official website, Ralf Rangnick said:
"“Hopefully for the away game at Villa on Saturday we will also have a few other players available including Harry [Maguire] in the centre-back position. That will give us more options.“Phil Jones will also hopefully be fit again on Saturday.”"
Manchester United handed potential double boost for Aston Villa game
A lot of questions have been raised about Maguire in recent times as the Manchester United captain has been nowhere near his best this season.
On the other hand, Jones returned to first-team action recently after struggling with injuries for a couple of years and put in a solid performance, especially for someone who had not played senior football in such a long time.
From the recent FA Cup game, Manchester United will know that Aston Villa will present them with a difficult test on Saturday, especially away from home. But the Red Devils have very little margin for error left in the league and will need all three points.