Manchester United welcome Bournemouth to Old Trafford tonight hoping to continue their momentum from the victory over Wolves
Manchester United will arrive at Old Trafford tonight with all eyes on the team bus to see if Noussair Mazraoui, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo get off it. On Friday, Ruben Amorim suggested he was still in the dark as to whether the trio would be involved or not against Bournemouth.
Negotiations with the stars’ respective national teams have been ongoing for weeks but the outcome up to now has been unknown. Amorim attempted to twist this into a positive by suggesting it will also keep Andoni Iraola guessing but undoubtedly it will be frustrating for United to be in the dark.
So with little known as to the availability of the trio, our best guess is that the three men remain with United for this game before jetting off for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). If this is the case, Mazraoui is likely to keep his place on the left side of the back three to allow Leny Yoro a further rest from the start.
Ayden Heaven has been trusted to start the last two games and there is no evidence to suggest Amorim will change his mind on that approach tonight. Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire’s absences will be felt hard
As the club’s best wing-back, Amad will keep his place in the starting XI with Diogo Dalot likely to keep the left wing-back role after scoring against West Ham and being unlucky not to add to his tally vs Bournemouth. Patrick Dorgu’s chance should come once Amad leaves for AFCON and Dalot is moved to right wing-back.
Having Mbeumo available would be ideal for United and including him in the starting line-up takes some pressure off the stretched attack. Benjamin Sesko is back to full fitness but a bout of food poisoning has put his place in the team in doubt.
Sesko’s absence since the draw at Tottenham should mean Amorim starts the striker on the bench particularly with other options available to him. Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount are both capable of playing as false nines if required and this should allow the Slovenian to be eased back into first-team football.
United predicted XI vs Bournemouth: Lammens; Mazraoui, Heaven, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Mount; Cunha
