Granada gave Man United a proper game in the first leg of their Europa League quarter final last week, but the 2-0 win should mean that United will advance on Thursday night.
There had been suggestions that the Spanish side didn’t really have the belief that they could win and perhaps they gave United too much respect, and in some ways that does make sense.
They had a lot of good possession and some decent chances but they didn’t seem to shoot with conviction, so there was a feeling of inevitability about the sucker punch that arrived through Marcus Rashford in the first half.
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In that moment he showed his quality with his pace and finishing ability to make the difference, but it looks like he may be forced to miss out on Thursday:
#MUFC have confirmed Marcus Rashford sat out training on Wednesday & is "doubtful for the tie" against Granada but Daniel James is fit after missing the win at Spurs
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) April 14, 2021
He’s been struggling with injuries lately so he could probably do with a bit of time to recover, while United should still have more than enough to go through if he’s forced to miss the game.
Rashford is vital to this team so it does make sense to leave him out if he’s struggling, but he hasn’t officially been ruled out at this point.
It’s worth noting that Solskjaer’s squad is depleted due to suspensions and it could be a nervy night if Granada score first, so the manager may feel he needs to start Rashford to help put the tie to bed before subbing him later on.