Mainoo out, £70m star returns: Amorim could make one change to Man Utd XI vs Newcastle
Manchester United will be hosting Newcastle United in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
Manager Ruben Amorim will be highly concerned with seven senior players expected to miss the crucial Premier League clash.
Key midfield pillars Kobbie Mainoo and captain Bruno Fernandes are both sidelined after suffering recent injury setbacks.
With depth stretched thin, Amorim must improvise to keep United firmly in the hunt for a top-five finish.
We believe the Portuguese coach may resist wholesale changes and instead tweak just one position from the side that fell 2–1 to Aston Villa.
Casemiro missed the trip to Villa Park due to a one-game suspension.
He is expected to return to the starting XI in place of the injured Fernandes.
Manuel Ugarte endured a tough afternoon against Villa and does not merit a start.
An alternative could see Lisandro Martínez redeployed as a makeshift midfielder to plug the gap.
Teenager Jack Fletcher tasted first-team action on his debut and may yet earn another cameo appearance on Friday.
Casemiro will be tasked with playing with more freedom to attack and deliver incisive forward passes, given Ugarte’s limitations on the ball.
The £70 million signing has a huge role to play now.
Joshua Zirkzee is likely to be named among the substitutes once again, while Benjamin Sesko looks to rebuild momentum after his recent knee setback.
United’s bench could once more feature two goalkeepers alongside four academy prospects, underlining the scale of the injury crisis.
Facing a dangerous Newcastle side without more than half a dozen regulars available, the Red Devils are braced for one of their toughest tests of the season.
Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .