Ruben Amorim could end up giving three Europa League debuts to Manchester United stars in the upcoming weeks following an unseen hint from the club.
Manchester United face a pivotal Europa League clash against Real Sociedad this week, with their season on the line.
On Sunday, they endured a painful FA Cup exit, losing to Fulham in a fifth-round penalty shootout after Joshua Zirkzee and Victor Lindelöf had their spot-kicks saved.
Ruben Amorim’s side sit 14th in the Premier League, well out of contention for European qualification, leaving the Europa League as their only hope for silverware and a Champions League spot.
A challenging round-of-16 tie awaits, however, with the first leg against Real Sociedad set to take place in Spain this Thursday before the second-leg is played at Old Trafford next week.
Heaven and Dorgu included in Europa League squad
Manchester United’s updated squad for the Europa League knockout stages has been confirmed with three new additions to the list.
The Reds have been able to make three adjustments to the squad list they submitted at the beginning of the season.
New signings Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu have been included in the A-List of United’s squad which means they will be available for Europa League games.
Dorgu is currently serving a three-game suspension after he was sent off against Ipswich Town last week, but that ban only applies for domestic competition, meaning he will be available for both clashes against Sociedad.
Meanwhile, Heaven will also be eyeing Europa League minutes after impressing off the bench in his debut against Fulham, despite the result.
Fletcher could make United debut in Europa League
Many supporters had assumed United’s third additional spot was going to be taken by Chido Obi, who has emerged as a first-team option in recent weeks. There are only three changes that can be made to the A-List.
The 17-year-old striker has looked more threatening than Højlund in recent cameos and some fans have even been suggesting that Obi should start against the Spaniards.
However, it has been confirmed that Obi was not the third player added to the A-List since United submitted their squad before he emerged as an option for Amorim.
The ex-Arsenal starlet is not eligible for the B-List, which allows additional Academy players to be added to the squad if they have been with the club for at least two years, meaning that he will not be available for any of United’s remaining European games this season.
Instead, the Reds have decided to add Under-21s star Jack Fletcher to the A-List. Fletcher has also been with United for less than two years, meaning he would be ineligible to play through the B-List criteria.
Fletcher joined the club at the start of last season from Manchester City and was a star man in the Under-18s last term in a treble-winning season. He has since stepped up to the next level but has remained with the Under-18s for FA Youth Cup clashes.
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The young midfielder has been named on the first-team bench four times this season and appears to be highly-rated at Old Trafford. He was named in the squad ahead of Sekou Kone, who joined the club this summer for around £1 million.
His inclusion in the A-List suggests that he could be involved for United in the Europa League amid their injury concerns, and may well end up making his debut.
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