Erik ten Hag will have planned for a starting line-up against Wolverhampton Wanderers that doesn’t feature Marcus Rashford.
The Manchester United manager will hope his top scorer does recover from a leg injury in time to face Wolves, but Ten Hag’s tone and description of the knock doesn’t bode well ahead of Saturday’s clash.
While Rashford’s form has taken a downturn in recent weeks, he has still provided 29 goals in all competitions this season, with Bruno Fernandes on 11 the next highest. Assuming he does miss out this weekend, United will also miss out on Rashford’s dynamism and well-timed runs in behind.
Ten Hag has a number of options to replace the 25-year-old, with Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Antony and the recently returned Alejandro Garnacho all candidates to start in the wide areas. Rashford has played up top on several occasions this term but Anthony Martial or Wout Weghorst look set to start in a centre-forward role position against Wolves.
Ten Hag also must decide whether to immediately select Raphael Varane in the starting line-up, with the French defender available again for the first time in a month. Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw haven’t looked dependable in the last two matches, and if Varane were to start that could see Shaw push out to a full-back role.
Two of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia have occupied the wide defensive roles in recent games and haven’t always impressed.
With all that in mind, here’s how we think Ten Hag will line up for Saturday’s Premier League encounter…
1. GK: David de Gea
Has seen a lot of speculation surrounding his future in the last week, and the goalkeeper will want to put in a good display on Saturday.
2. RB: Diogo Dalot
With United expected to have more of the ball against Wolves, the more offensive Dalot might be a better choice than Wan-Bissaka.
3. CB: Victor Lindelof
Varane might not yet have the fitness to start games, meaning Ten Hag could stick with his centre-back pairing from recent encounters.
4. CB: Luke Shaw
The former Southampton man also played at centre-back at Molineux in December.