Man United predicted XI vs Bournemouth: Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martínez to return to starting XI

After wins against Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Wolves in the last two weeks, Manchester United have a chance to build on their form in the New year, as the host Bournemouth.

Erik ten Hag’s side will be looking to make it four wins in four; United sit fourth in the table, two points ahead of top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand, and will also be aiming to displace Newcastle in third — who travel to league leaders Arsenal.  

Bournemouth, who sit 15th in the table, will be aiming to get their first win under Gary O’Neil as the permanent manager. O’Neil, who replaced then-manager Scott Parker after a 9-0 loss to Liverpool in August, spurred Bournemouth onto a six-game unbeaten run before earning the job full-time over the World Cup break. 

Read More: Manchester United vs Bournemouth: Form Guide

Despite the defensive successes since the return, Ten Hag has had to fill a makeshift backline for most of the previous games. Luke Shaw and Casemiro have had to depart from their traditional positions in left-back and defensive midfield, respectively, and the pair have featured at the heart of the defence. 

The potential return of Lisandro Martínez will be a welcomed one for Ten Hag, who will look to return to the centre-back pairing alongside Raphaël Varane that offered him so much success before the break in the season.

Martínez, 24, was given time off after winning the World Cup with Argentina in December and has not played in United’s last three matches since the resumption of domestic football.

Diogo Dalot has yet to feature for Ten Hag since the return. The right-back is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during the World Cup with Portugal. 

“Diogo Dalot also made good progress,” Ten Hag answered about the latest team news ahead of the Bournemouth game. “We don’t want to take risks with anyone because we know many games to come, and we need a full squad to cover all the games.”

Read More: Erik ten Hag’s Diogo Dalot injury decision shows improvement at Manchester United

Marcus Rashford was dropped from the starting XI against Wolves after oversleeping for a team meeting, but the attacker should be back in the team after scoring the winning goal coming off the bench on the weekend.

Manchester United predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martínez, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, B.Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.