Rúben Amorim will have Casemiro back for selection as Manchester United welcome Sunderland to Old Trafford for the first time since 2016.
Manchester United host Sunderland at Old Trafford before the October international break, marking the clubs’ first meeting since April 2017.
Rúben Amorim’s side have endured a shaky start, winning just two of their opening six league games and sitting 14th, narrowly above last season’s 15th-place finish.
Sunderland, on the other hand, have impressed since returning to the Premier League. Régis Le Bris’ men occupy fifth place with 11 points from six matches.
United’s recent 3-1 loss at Brentford has only increased the pressure on Amorim as questions grow over his future among supporters.
Premier League confirm match referee
Stuart Attwell (pictured above) will be the referee on Saturday afternoon in Manchester. Pawson officiated 19 Premier League fixtures last season, two UEFA matches, and nine across other domestic competitions.
Attwell officiated United twice last season: a 3-0 win away from home against Southampton and a 1-1 draw against Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round, which saw Marco Silva’s visiting side through on penalties.
Last season, Attwell issued 75 yellow cards in the Premier League and 135 across all competitions. He issued three red cards last season across all competitions, one of which was a straight dismissal. He also awarded four penalties, two of which came in the Premier League.
During the game, Constantine Hatzidakis and Nick Hopton will serve as Attwell’s assistant referees. Dean Whitestone will be the fourth official on Saturday afternoon, separating Amorim and Le Bris.
Neil Davies has been appointed as the Video Assistant Referee. Stuart Burt will act as assistant VAR.
Seven players out or doubts for the tie
Both sides have injury problems to deal with ahead of the Saturday afternoon clash. For United, defenders Noussair Mazraoui and Lisandro Martínez are both injured and not expected back until after the international break.
However, the club confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that Amad had returned to duties after being granted compassionate leave. At the same time, left-back Tyrell Malacia had also rejoined the squad after failing to find a move out of Old Trafford in the summer.
Casemiro is also available to return to action after serving a one-match ban due to a red card against Chelsea two weekends ago.
For Sunderland, four of their players are confirmed to be out of the fixture. Reinildo Isnard Mandava was recently sent off for violent conduct against Aston Villa, with the Old Trafford clash the second of his three-match ban.
Meanwhile, record signing Mouhamadou Diarra has picked up an injury and is confirmed to miss the next few months, while Romaine Mundle and Dennis Cirkin will not return until after the international break due to a thigh and wrist problem, respectively.
Aji Alese has been out of action with a shoulder issue but is nearing a return, although it’s yet to be seen whether he will be fit enough to make the trip to Manchester.
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