After a well earned draw away to Liverpool in the EPL on Monday, Manchester United will now turn their attention to the Europa League where they will host Fenerbahce on Thursday.
Manchester United is currently tied for second place in Group A, so they could use a good result on Thursday if they wish to advance.
Let’s take a look at the possible lineup.
GK- David de Gea
De Gea made a few splendid saves to help preserve the clean sheet for Manchester United on Monday, and they will be looking for him to continue his good form on Thursday.
LB- Luke Shaw
Shaw is finally fit after dealing with a groin injury and an illness over the past few weeks, and he came on very late as a sub against Liverpool. Thursday should be a good opportunity to give him a start in order to reintegrate him into the squad.
CB- Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly
Manchester United has only allowed one goal in their last three games, and Smalling and Bailly have started together in all three of those fixtures. This duo has done a very good job together anchoring the back four, so Mourinho might as well stick with what’s working.
RB- Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Antonio Valencia is 31 years old, and he might be due for a rest with only two days off in between matches. Fosu-Mensah started at right back for Manchester United in their last Europa League match against Zorya, and he played very well. That performance may be enough to earn him another start on Thursday.
CM- Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera
Paul Pogba is still an almost automatic start for any games of importance to Manchester United. He’s only 23 years old, so he should have fresh enough legs to play in the majority of Manchester United’s midweek fixtures. Ander Herrera is coming off a fantastic performance against Liverpool, where he had 7 tackles and 10 interceptions, so he deserves to start again on Thursday.
AML- Jesse Lingard
Anthony Martial reportedly suffered an injury in training, causing him to miss the game against Liverpool on Monday. With Martial likely out for the match on Thursday, Jesse Lingard will likely need to step in to try to provide Manchester United with an offensive spark.
AMC- Wayne Rooney
Rooney has not had a good season by any means, but it’s still probably too early to completely give up on him. There should be a little bit less pressure on Rooney in a Europa League group match as opposed to a league game, so this could be a good opportunity to give him another chance.
AMR- Juan Mata
Mata has had a very good season this year, and he has played well both as a center attacking midfielder and as an attacking midfielder on the right side. This versatility should get Mata into the lineup one way or another on Thursday, and if Rooney gets the start, Mata would likely play on the right side for this match.
ST- Marcus Rashford
Zlatan had a disappointing performance against Liverpool on Monday, and he will likely be rotated out of the lineup to get him some rest. Rashford has got a lot of playing time as an attacking midfielder, but this game should be a good opportunity to give him a start at striker.
(4-2-3-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
