Manchester United XI vs Fenerbahce: Injuries force Erik ten Hag’s hand, four changes expected

Erik ten Hag may be forced into four changes as Manchester United prepare to face Fenerbache away from home in the Europa League.

Manchester United will continue their Europa League campaign on Thursday evening with an away trip to Fenerbahce for their third group stage match.

United have had a rocky start in the competition, drawing their opening two fixtures against FC Twente and FC Porto, which has led to growing scrutiny of Erik ten Hag’s management.

However, in domestic football, Ten Hag’s side showed their resilience last weekend, staging an impressive second-half fightback to secure a win against Brentford at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

This encounter with Fenerbahce brings an intriguing subplot, as former United manager Jose Mourinho, who left the club in 2018, now leads the Turkish team.

Adding more familiarity, ex-United players Fred and Sofyan Amrabat, both of whom played under Ten Hag, will now be facing their former club.

While André Onana will certainly start in goal, Ten Hag will be forced to make at least one defensive change after it was announced that Jonny Evans did not travel with the squad.

Although Lisandro Martínez performed well at left-back against Brentford, Diogo Dalot is expected to resume his place in the position as he has done this season, with Martínez slotting back into the centre-back to replace Evans.

He will likely play alongside Matthijs de Ligt, with Noussair Mazraoui filling in at right-back in his first start back after undergoing minor corrective heart surgery during the international break.

The selection speaks for itself in midfield. With Toby Collyer and Kobbie Mainoo injured and Bruno Fernandes suspended, only three midfield players travelled with the squad that will line up against Fenerbahce at the Ulker Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro will likely line up as the midfield pair behind Christian Eriksen. Although Eriksen may have been rested on another occasion, Fernandes’ suspension calls for the Danish international to continue his streak of starts in the side.

In attack, two further changes may be made as Ten Hag looks to manage the fitness of his players. While Marcus Rashford will likely start, this time back on the left wing, the other two players who featured against Brentford, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund, may find themselves rested.

Joshua Zirkzee may return up front after spending the last three games on the bench, as Højlund’s minutes need to be managed due to the number of injuries he has picked up since he arrived in 2023.

Meanwhile, Amad Diallo, who started United’s last Europa League game, may return to the XI. Although Garnacho started against Brentford, he had to pull out of the international break due to a knee problem and may instead take up a role from the bench.

Expected Man United XI

Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martínez, Dalot, Casemiro, Ugarte, Eriksen, Amad, Zirkzee, Rashford.

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