Reds are left to sweat on return of injured stars
WHEN United’s line-up against Liverpool is announced an hour before kick-off on Sunday, fans of the home team will scour the teamsheet more frantically than normal given the injuries Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had to contend with of late.
Solskjaer had concerns over 10 players going into the international break after Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly all missed the dismal loss at Newcastle.
Diogo Dalot started on Tyneside but limped off in the second half and Mason Greenwood withdrew from the England Under-21 squad for their game against Austria the following day.
The probability of United getting a result against Liverpool on Sunday is small but it will at least slightly increase if a few key players return.
Wan-Bissaka has been Solskjaer’s best performer so far this season and his comeback after a bout of tonsillitis will improve United’s chances of quietening the electric Sadio Mane.
He is one of three players United’s manager will be desperate to have back for the visit of Liverpool along with Pogba and Martial.
United’s midfield is powder puff without their No.6 and the Reds’ teamsheet has a far more imposing look to it when Pogba’s name is on it.
In attack, Martial needs to return. United scored six goals in their opening three games of the campaign but have managed just five in the eight since, with Martial proving to be a huge miss.
The Frenchman’s seven-week absence due to a thigh problem put the onus on Marcus Rashford to be United’s go-to goalscorer and that is a responsibility he has rarely looked comfortable with.
Although Martial has not played since September, it would not be surprising were Solskjaer to throw him in against Liverpool if the Frenchman is deemed fit enough.
United’s abysmal form of late is, of course, not entirely explainable by Martial’s absence but it has been a factor.
His return would enable Rashford to go back on to the left wing, a position the 21-year-old performs naturally in, as was evidenced by his thunderous strike in Bulgaria on Monday night.
Perhaps Rashford’s most memorable post-Louis van Gaal performance for United came from that flank, as he ran Trent AlexanderArnold ragged in a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford 19 months ago.
It would be bold of Solskjaer to move Daniel James over to the right given the impact the Welshman has had since arriving from Swansea, but he proved against Arsenal that he is more than capable of providing a threat from the opposite wing.
Rashford may not have produced the goods for United this season but he has provided reminders during each of the last two international breaks of just how promising a young player United have on their hands.
A big individual performance against Liverpool will go some way to restoring his standing with those fans who are beginning to disbelieve the hype.