Ruben Amorim has said Andre Onana will be the starting goalkeeper against Olympique Lyonnais in the Europa League quarter final second leg tonight.
Amorim has also confirmed that Joshua Zirkzee is out for the season after picking up a hamstring injury against Newcastle.
Harry Maguire will almost certainly return to the starting lineup, having been rested against the Geordies. Casemiro and Patrick Dorgu, too, should return.
We expect Victor Lindelof to make way for Maguire, with Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro keeping their places in the back three.
Diogo Dalot, an almost ever-present this season, will be right wing back with Dorgu on the left.
Other defensive options are Luke Shaw, who got a few minutes on Sunday, and Harry Amass, who made his first Premier League start in the 4-1 defeat.
Matthijs de Ligt is still out but expected back soon. Ayden Heaven is also out again, having had a “small setback”. Jonny Evans is back in training but not ready for selection, while Lisandro Martinez is out for several months.
Casemiro and Manu Ugarte will likely be the midfield pair.
Kobbie Mainoo is also available for selection in midfield but he has not had much football lately so is likely to be ring rusty. Christian Eriksen played on Sunday, so it is unlikely he’ll start this one. Toby Collyer is still injured.
Up front, in Zirkzee’s absence, Rasmus Hojlund will almost certainly return, with Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho the twin 10’s.
Mason Mount is another option but Amorim seems reluctant to start him. If he were to be in the initial XI, it might mean Ugarte dropping to the bench and Bruno Fernandes playing alongside Casemiro in midfield.
Chido Obi is not registered to play in the competition but there may be a spot on the bench for the impressive Gabriele Biancheri, who has been called up to first team training.
Amad is back training on the grass but not yet in team training.
It is clearly United’s biggest game of the season so far and so the re-introduction of Onana and Hojlund, players struggling desperately for form, is a big gamble by the head coach. But it is also the perfect opportunity for both to silence their critics and turn themselves from zeroes to heroes in the space of 90 short minutes.
Here then is our predicted line-up for tonight’s 8pm kick-off:
Featured image Clive Rose via Getty Images
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Red Billy
Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.
