Man Utd could reportedly take a very thin squad to face Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League on Thursday night due to injury problems.
The Red Devils will be buoyed by their draw with Liverpool on Sunday, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has decisions to make on selections moving forward.
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With his side struggling to keep up the pace in the battle for a top-four finish in the Premier League, the United boss may well be tempted to rest key individuals and get them ready to face Norwich City on Sunday.
However, he also has an opportunity to get back to the Champions League through their European commitments this season, and he’ll arguably be keen to put out a strong line-up this week to try and get a positive result.
As per freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery’s tweet below though, and noted by the club’s official site, he could be without a string of first-team stars due to injury, which will in turn severely limit his options and perhaps force him to show faith in the youngsters in his squad.
It’s suggested that Diogo Dalot, Axel Tuanzebe, Luke Shaw, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly and Jesse LIngard are all set to sit out with a variety of issues, and it remains to be seen how many of them are able to get the green light from the medical staff before the weekend.
For now though, the focus is on Partizan and moving clear at the top of Group L, with the two sides currently locked in top spot with four points apiece as they’ll meet again at Old Trafford in a fortnight in what could be two decisive encounters.
Martial and Jones returned to the United bench on Sunday, and both players are expected to travel to Belgrade. Diogo Dalot has been ruled out while Axel Tuanzebe (hip) is rated as a major doubt. The game could come too soon for Shaw, Matic, Pogba, Bailly and Lingard. #MUFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) October 22, 2019
