Manchester United’s faint hopes of claiming the Premier League title were all but crushed after the Red Devils succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of leaders Chelsea last week.
Nonetheless, the fans were certainly left proud of their side’s performance after dominating the ‘would be’ Champions in their own backyard and the match proved that United are slowly returning to their best after a year of painful recovery.
That said, United are still not assured of a top four finish and they need to avoid getting complacent during the final five matches of the season.
Up next is a clash against rejuvenated Everton on Sunday and the match can be considered a potential banana skin for United – who will surely be handed a tough game by the Toffees.
Here is the Strongest Possible Lineup for Manchester United on the day –
Goalkeeper
As usual, David De Gea put in another top quality performance for Manchester United against Chelsea last week and was unlucky to find himself in the losing side.
Nonetheless, the Spaniard cannot afford to dwell too much on the defeat and will need to pick himself up for the clash against a dangerous Everton side this weekend.
Defence
Despite putting in a makeshift lineup on the day, the Manchester United backline more than acquitted themselves well against the talented Chelsea side.
With Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo still out injured, there is a distinct possibility that manager Louis van Gaal will stick with the same back four which started against Chelsea.
Teenage duo Luke Shaw and Paddy McNair were top class last week and deserve to start while the experienced duo of Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia look certain to start once again.
Jonny Evans is finally available after serving his six match suspension but it is unlikely that the Northern Irishman will be put straight back into the lineup.
Midfield
Michael Carrick looks set to miss out due to injury and Wayne Rooney could well be deployed at the centre midfield position once again.
However, considering that Rooney would be underused in midfield and it is unlikely that van Gaal will use the striker out of position.
Daley Blind seems to have returned back to full fitness and Dutchman should take Rooney’s place in midfield this weekend.
Ashley Young and Juan Mata could not replicate their fine form during the clash against Chelsea and the same can be said about Marouane Fellaini as well.
Nonetheless, the trio should keep their place in the starting lineup with the likes of Angel Di Maria and Adnan Januzaj waiting on the wings.
Attack
With the return of Blind, Rooney is likely to move back into attack while Radamel Falcao makes a move back to the bench.
Given the fact that Robin van Persie has returned to full fitness, there is a possibility that the Dutchman could be involved but one should expect the striker to only feature from the substitute bench.
Falcao was decent against Chelsea and if required, van Gaal will surely have no problems in using the striker in some capacity against Everton as well.
(4-5-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
