Rúben Amorim may opt against starting Matheus Cunha as Manchester United line up to face West Ham in the Premier League on Thursday evening.
Manchester United’s recent upturn in form was highlighted by their 2–1 comeback win over Crystal Palace. After a sluggish first half left Rúben Amorim’s side trailing at the interval, moments of brilliance from Joshua Zirkzee, Mason Mount, and Bruno Fernandes turned the tide in the second period.
The result brought an end to their wait for a league victory in London against opposition other than Fulham, with the previous success dating back to January 2022. Attention now turns to Old Trafford, where West Ham arrive on Thursday evening.
United continue to push toward the Champions League places, climbing the table with renewed confidence. West Ham, meanwhile, are looking nervously over their shoulders, level on points with 18th-placed Leeds United and only clear of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Amorim will be hoping the Palace performance can help ensure the disappointment of the Everton defeat is a thing of the past and spark a strong run of results as the busy festive period begins.
Amorim could leave Cunha out vs West Ham
United’s second-half display against Palace was a stark contrast from their first, with the side having much more energy and fight. Despite the mixed displays of late, one man who will continue in the side is goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who has only lost one game with the club since his debut.
In defence, Leny Yoro had a less-than-impressive display but was unlucky to give away Palace’s penalty. Amorim has spoken about the need to protect the 20-year-old, so he may choose to rest him and hand Noussair Mazraoui a start at right centre-back.
Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw have started every single Premier League fixture this season, and considering both their individual good form and injuries elsewhere in the squad, it’s hard to see either of the pair being dropped.
In the middle of the park, Amorim could opt to make a change. West Ham have been in poor form this season, and with a fixture away from home against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the weekend, Amorim could rest Casemiro and start Manuel Ugarte in the middle of the park.
Bruno Fernandes will likely remain in his deeper role. Still, if Amorim wants to rest Casemiro and maybe doesn’t trust Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo could also be handed his first league start of the season, though this feels the least likely of the two options.
As for the wing-backs, Diogo Dalot garnered praise from the United boss for his performance on the left against Palace, while Amad is a sure-fire option to start on the right flank.
In the front three, Bryan Mbeumo will definitely keep his place. The interesting decision concerns what Amorim decides to do regarding Matheus Cunha’s return from injury.
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Cunha is one of United’s most threatening players, but Mount’s “clever” finish against Palace gives him a major edge. Amorim may view it as a ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’ situation, and allow Cunha to return off the bench, instead.
With Benjamin Šeško still injured, Zirkzee is expected to start his third game in a row for the club as the striker and will be hoping to continue some good form after his brilliant finish on Sunday.
United predicted XI vs West Ham
Lammens, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Shaw, Amad, Ugarte, Fernandes, Mbeumo, Zirkzee, Mount.
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