Rúben Amorim is expected to make decisions on Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo’s respective involvements as Manchester United take on Man City in the Premier League.
After returning to action earlier this week following the March international break, Rúben Amorim is now focused on preparing Manchester United for a high-stakes clash with Manchester City at Old Trafford.
United were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, a result that highlighted ongoing struggles in front of goal. Still, there were encouraging signs, with many noting an improvement in United’s build-up play and control under Amorim.
The 40-year-old will be eager for his side to show a more clinical edge when they host Pep Guardiola’s City on Sunday afternoon in the latest edition of the Manchester Derby.
With United also juggling Europa League duties, Amorim will already be planning ahead for next Thursday’s trip to France to face Olympique Lyonnais.
Shaw and Mainoo decisions vs Man City
The two biggest selection decisions Amorim must make when preparing his squad to face City is whether or not to select either Kobbie Mainoo or Luke Shaw in his matchday squad.
Just before the international break, Mason Mount returned to training in midweek but missed out of the squad to face Real Sociedad as Amorim stated he wanted to give the player some extra time in team training before his matchday return. However, he was selected in the squad that defeated Leciester City just days later.
With United treating Mount very carefully, this opens the door for Shaw to return to the squad. He has been in team training for over a week but was not selected in the squad against Forest. Should he follow a similar pattern to Mount, he may well be reintegrated on the bench against City.
As for Mainoo, he feels a little behind Shaw. The head coach confirmed Mainoo was close to returning to training. Still, as his injury was a muscle problem, United will likely want to tread carefully and stave away from a squad inclusion for the midfielder against City.
Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro returned to the squad when United travelled to Nottingham, and with no injuries occurring for the Reds earlier this week, it’s expected that the rest of the squad will remain the same.
As for who will drop out of the squad to accommodate Shaw’s possible return, this will likely be 18-year-old left-back Harry Amass. However, there are also questions surrounding whether Sekou Kone will remain in the side as the U21s face Forest on Monday evening.
United predicted squad vs City (Premier League)
Goalkeepers: André Onana, Altay Bayındır.
Defenders: Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Diogo Dalot, Patrick Dorgu, Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire.
Midfielders: Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes, Toby Collyer, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount, Sekou Kone.
Forwards: Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Højlund, Joshua Zirkzee.
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