Manchester United expected squad vs Aston Villa as Kobbie Mainoo decision made

Manchester United are expected to welcome Kobbie Mainoo back to the matchday squad as Erik ten Hag prepares to face Aston Villa.

Manchester United are preparing to return to Premier League action with an away match against Aston Villa, their seventh league game of the season.

Under the management of Erik ten Hag, the team has faced a difficult start, winning just three out of their ten matches so far. In their most recent encounter, they lost a 2-0 lead against FC Porto, with Harry Maguire’s last-minute header salvaging a 3-3 draw.

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Currently sitting 13th in the league table, Manchester United will be up against a confident Aston Villa side, who are thriving under Unai Emery. Villa holds 5th place, just two points behind league leaders Liverpool.

In their latest match, Aston Villa secured a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, thanks to a fantastic goal from substitute Jhon Duran.

While United named 11 players on the bench during their Europa League tie against Porto, Premier League rules state that clubs can only name nine for games in the competition, meaning that two players will have to drop out from the Porto squad.

These will likely be Dan Gore and Toby Collyer, but depending on Kobbie Mainoo’s fitness, a third could drop out to make way for the 19-year-old.

Mainoo missed the Porto tie with a slight hamstring issue, and following the game, Ten Hag confirmed that he would be assessed in the coming days to see if he is available to start against Aston Villa.

“We have to wait and we have to see if he can play on Sunday, if he’s fit enough to start or be on the bench.”

If these words are to be taken as gospel, Mainoo will likely make the squad, but whether he starts or is named on the bench remains to be answered.

If Mainoo is named in the squad, Jonny Evans may be the third man to drop from the travelling team, as Ten Hag now has four other defenders at his disposal: Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martínez, and Victor Lindelöf.

Beyond this, United have no further injury concerns. Rasmus Højlund returned to the starting XI and scored his first goal of the season, coming off after 68 minutes to make way for Joshua Zirkzee.

Despite an initial scare that Marcus Rashford had been substituted at half-time due to an injury, Ten Hag clarified that it was simply a rotation decision, meaning the Egnlish winger will likely start on Sunday.

Man United expected squad vs Aston Villa

Goalkeepers: André Onana, Altay Bayındır, Tom Heaton.
Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelöf.
Midfielders: Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo. 
Forwards:  Amad Diallo, Rasmus Højlund, Joshua Zirkzee, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony.

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