How United Could Line Up Against Newcastle: We Take A Look At Solskjaer’s Options

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4 years ago

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Manchester United’s 6-1 home defeat against Tottenham before the international break means that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have some massive selection decisions to make going into Saturday’s game against Newcastle.

The Norwegian will likely look to shake things up with his team selection for the match following an extremely disappointing start to the Premier League season.

Anthony Martial’s suspension and new signing Edinson Cavani’s absence due to quarantine rules means Solskjaer will have some issues to address in the front line, while there could also be some changes to the back four which looked so porous against Spurs.

Press the next page as we go through the United team that we think will line up at St James’ Park this weekend.

GK – David De Gea

The 29-year-old did make another mistake whilst on international duty, but he wasn’t at fault for any of the goals against Tottenham and he will likely keep his place ahead of Dean Henderson, for now.

De Gea’s number one status is increasingly under threat, though, and he knows any more errors could see him be replaced. He will want to put in a good performance on Saturday

RB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka

He is in poor form, but the departure of Diogo Dalot on loan to AC Milan means there is no real competition for his place. Timothy Fosu-Mensah is currently his understudy which is a damning indictment of the club’s recruitment strategy.

The Dutchman, who has been loaned out to the likes of Crystal Palace and Fulham in recent years, is not up to standard so it’s highly unlikely that Wan-Bissaka will be taken out of the firing line.

CB – Victor Lindelof

With Axel Tuanzebe yet to play this season, and Phil Jones out injured, the only other options that Solskjaer has available to him in central defence are Eric Bailly and the Swedish international.

Neither player looks good enough to start regularly for United but one of them will have to play at St James’ Park, and it looks as though Lindelof may well be recalled.

CB – Harry Maguire

After a nightmare start to the season, Solskjaer may be tempted to take the defender out of the team but what message would it send if he left the club captain out of the starting eleven?

Despite Maguire’s lack of confidence and poor form, it is very difficult to see how he can be dropped, especially as the other centre-back options available won’t offer much in terms of improvement.

LB – Alex Telles

After Luke Shaw’s utterly dreadful display in the Spurs debacle, fans will be delighted that there is now genuine competition for the left-back slot. Telles should be ready to go despite having had very few training sessions with his new teammates.

The Brazilian only played 20 minutes for the national team against Peru on Wednesday night so hopefully, he will be fit and available for the Newcastle game.

CM – Donny van de Beek

The midfielder has to be given a chance from the start in games and, with Paul Pogba having struggled at the start of this season, it could well be time for the Dutchman to come in and replace him.

Van de Beek scored in the 1-1 draw against Italy earlier this week, playing in a deeper position, and there’s no reason why he can’t perform the same role for United.

CM – Fred

With Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay putting in less than stellar performances at the beginning of this campaign, the Brazilian deserves to be given another chance to start in the Premier League.

Fred came on in the second half against Spurs with the score already 4-1 so not much of the blame can be directed towards him for the defeat. Let’s see whether he can inject some life into United’s midfield this weekend.

AM – Bruno Fernandes

Replaced at half-time versus Tottenham as Solskjaer looked to limit the damage, the Portuguese playmaker will almost certainly return to the eleven on Saturday.

Fernandes should not escape criticism but out of all the players, he still looks like the one who will make things happen in the final third of the pitch.

RW – Juan Mata

The 32-year-old has done nothing wrong in his two games in the Carabao Cup, and with a reshuffle in the frontline necessary due to suspension and injury, he could be the beneficiary.

Mata’s experience should also prove invaluable, especially with a number of teammates being low in confidence at the moment.

CF – Mason Greenwood

With Anthony Martial suspended and Edinson Cavani unavailable, the teenager could be employed in his favoured position through the middle this weekend.

Odion Ighalo would be the main alternative but the Nigerian has not shown anything this season to suggest he deserves to start ahead of Greenwood.

LW – Marcus Rashford

Very much out of form but there are few other alternatives, with Dan James not exactly providing any real competition due to the Welshman’s poor recent performances.

United fans will be hoping Rashford awakens from his slumber soon in order to provide a much-needed goal threat.