Manchester United face FC Rostov tonight in a Europa League clash that could go a long way to defining Jose Mourinho’s debut season at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese has already provided silverware in the form of the EFL Cup but United fans will be desperate for their side to make a statement on the continental stage. And currently six points away from a top four spot, the Europa League could be the club’s best chance of Champions League qualification this term.
Losing against inferior opposition at home, meanwhile, certainly won’t reflect well on Mourinho following a 1-0 defeat to his former employers Chelsea on Monday night and will leave United with little to play for this season, barring an uphill battle to claim a place in the top four.
With a vast squad at his disposal, tonight’s lineup selection could well be the most important of Mourinho’s United career thus far – so we asked fans earlier this week to vote for who should be in the starting XI.
The results of our exclusive poll are now in; United fans voted for five changes to the XI that lost to Chelsea and a switch back to Mourinho’s more customary 4-2-3-1 formation. Here’s a look at who the fans picked…
GK: David De Gea
An unsurprisingly near-unanimous choice between the sticks, although some voters did opt for understudy Sergio Romero to get a run-out instead, David De Gea has been fantastic for United once again this season and kept his side in the game during the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Monday night. Jose Mourinho did elect to rest the Spain international for this kind of fixture earlier in the campaign but amid a seeming shift in priority towards the Europa League, it makes sense for him to start tonight’s crucial clash.
RB: Antonio Valencia
Arguably the Red Devils’ most consistent performer throughout the course of the campaign, Antonio Valencia has been a real force at right-back, providing physicality in defence and fantastic delivery when on the overlap. He’s been a key figure under Mourinho this term and the most regular member of a largely sturdy backline, notching up three assists in 23 Premier League appearances.
CB: Marcos Rojo
Certainly not everybody’s cup of tea and unlikely to be a long-term fixture at Old Trafford. Nonetheless, Marcos Rojo’s been in consistent form this season and even if he does sometimes overstep the line – such as his alleged stamp on Monday night – the Argentine’s given United’s defence real physicality and nastiness. Red Devils fans appear keen to maintain some consistency at the back, and clearly see the South American as a big part of that.
CB: Eric Bailly
Eric Bailly hasn’t featured for United since the EFL Cup final – which was hardly a defensive masterclass from the Red Devils – but our readers want to see him back in the starting line-up. The Ivorian’s struggled to maintain his early form since arriving at Old Trafford during the summer but his potential is obvious, with power, pace and aerial prowess in abundance. His last Europa League outing, however, resulted in a double-booking and an early dismissal.
LB: Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw and Jose Mourinho don’t seem to be on the best of terms, with the left-back spending much of his first campaign under the Portuguese on the fringes of Man United’s first-team squad. But the English starlet made his first Premier League start since October against Bournemouth earlier this month and Red Devils fans are keen to see him get another chance in Mourinho’s XI. He’s already made three Europa League appearances this term, helping United to wins over Fenerbahce and Feyenoord.
CM: Ander Herrera
He may have overstepped the mark on Monday night but Ander Herrera remains a crucial figure in United’s midfield as the support act to Paul Pogba, putting in a huge shift off the ball whilst helping his side maintain possession. The nippy midfielder has become the embodiment of United’s ethos under Mourinho and the Old Trafford gaffer will be as eager as our readers to start him against Rostov – especially considering he’s now banned for the trip to Middlesbrough this weekend. He ranked first in our poll.
CM: Paul Pogba
He’s getting stick left, right and centre at the moment but Manchester United fans are still backing Paul Pogba, who came fourth in our poll and received only one downvote. Admittedly, the Frenchman divides opinion; whilst some argue a world-record signing should be doing much, much more to influence scorelines, others see an understated yet important physical presence in midfield.
RAM: Juan Mata
Jose Mourinho’s little magician has got United out a few scrapes already this season and this is the kind of game where his quality should tell against inferior opposition. Juan Mata’s not always a regular in the starting line-up but he’s clearly well-liked at Old Trafford and on the whole, the Red Devils gaffer’s got his selection decisions regarding the Spain international right this season.
CAM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan
We’re still yet to see that phenomenal output which made Henrikh Mkhitaryan such a force at Borussia Dortmund but the Armenian assassin has shown glimpses of his true abilities – not least including that scorpion strike against Sunderland – during his debut campaign at Old Trafford. Having begun the campaign on the sidelines and out of favour, Mourinho will be hoping the attacking midfielder can help carry the team through the business end of the season.
LAM: Anthony Martial
A mercurial yet massive talent, Anthony Martial’s still adored by the United faithful despite spending significant chunks of the season out of the starting line-up. The Frenchman’s been more involved in recent weeks but struggled to have any impact during the reverse leg in Russia during a twenty-odd-minute outing from the bench. Having scored just twice this calendar year, the 21-year-old needs a goal tonight.
ST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Manchester United struggled without him against Chelsea on Monday night and needed him to provide the cutting edge in the first leg against Rostov, supplying Mkhitaryan for the Red Devils’ only goal of the evening. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has bordered upon talismanic for United this season and whether it’s against Champions League winners or Championship relegation battlers, the veteran striker is always up for the game. He didn’t receive a single downvote in our poll.
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Results