Four Manchester United stars must start against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon following Rúben Amorim’s admission regarding playing his best starting XI.
With Manchester United set to face Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon, there has been a lot of talk surrounding whether the Premier League game means less to Rúben Amorim and his side due to the pending Europa League clash against Athletic Bilbao next Thursday.
Amorim has previously mentioned that he knows he will have to play Academy players during the Premier League fixtures because he is well aware that he cannot be playing his first-team players in both competitions, but explained he still wants to put his “best starting XI” out when the club travel to the south coast on Sunday.
“No, it matters a lot,” Amorim said on Friday afternoon when addressing the matter. “What I am saying is that with our current squad, you have to take a risk and to choose a priority. It is impossible.
“I want to put the best starting XI in every game, and sometimes it is so hard for me to take a risk in the Premier League. Because sometimes the games in the Premier League are tougher than the Europa League, but in this moment we have to make choices.
“I also want to protect the young players. I don’t want to put everyone together in the same game in a way that they cannot perform. I just try to choose the best thing to help the club. The most important thing is the club at this moment, and I am trying to cope with everything.”
With this in mind, there are four players whom Amorim must look to start this weekend in preparation for the Bilbao fixture.
#1 – Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes was rested for the first time in 41 fixtures during United’s most recent fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Amorim must look to start the club captain against Bournemouth this weekend.
The head coach has previously admitted that, sometimes, the best way to manage players when a series of fixtures hit is to keep playing them in order to maintain their rhythm.
The best way to manage Fernandes ahead of the Bilbao trip would be to start the player on Sunday, but make sure he only plays 60 or 70 minutes to keep him fresh ahead of the Europa League tie.
#2 – Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire has risen to prominence in the last few months as a central player in the defence, particularly amid the absence of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez.
Maguire was another who did not start against Wolves after playing 120 minutes in midweek during the epic comeback win against Lyon. Still, much like Fernandes, it may be best to start him against Bournemouth.
If Maguire can play around 60 or 70 minutes against players like Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo, and Evanilson, this could prepare him well to face Bilbao’s attacking threat as well.
#3 – Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu
Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu started as a right wing-back against Wolves and put in a commanding display despite playing on the opposite flank to his usual left side.
With the loss of Diogo Dalot for the foreseeable future, Dorgu may be the best player to replace the Portuguese international against Bilbao due to the dynamic attacking threat his left foot possesses on the right-hand side.
With Harry Amass proving himself to be a formidable force on the left flank and Luke Shaw now available for selection again, starting Dorgu on the right against Bournemouth would give him further valuable minutes as practice on the right.
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#4 – Mason Mount
Mason Mount has come off the bench across United’s last six fixtures, and is yet to make a start for the club since his return from injury late last month.
But, against Bournemouth, the player has the perfect chance to prove himself from the off ahead of the club’s trip to Spain.
Mount, starting on the left of the front three, allows Amorim to see the English forward in a scenario that has been scarce so far and will enable Mount to continue building match sharpness as either an impact player or starting for either leg of the Europa League semi-final tie.
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