Man Utd predicted XI vs Leeds: Teenager to debut in Amorim’s new system | OneFootball

Manchester United youngster Jack Fletcher could make his full debut against Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday.

The Red Devils are coming from what many pundits have identified as their most disappointing performance of the season, as they settled for a 1-1 draw against a woeful Wolves side that had only gathered two points from their previous 18 Premier League outings.

Interestingly, Ruben Amorim had temporarily abandoned his 3-4-2-1 formation in the 1-0 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day when he started with a 4-2-3-1 lineup, only to revert to his original system against Wolves.

But following the abysmal performance on Tuesday, the manager could be inclined to give his 4-2-3-1 experiment another go.

How Man United will line up against Leeds

In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Amorim revealed that none of his injured players is expected to return in time for the trip to Leeds. Therefore, Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt should remain on the sidelines, even though the latter is making significant progress in his rehabilitation process.

And with Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo away due to the African Cup of Nations, the 40-year-old starting lineup should remain almost the same.

Ayden Heaven has consolidated his role as a starter (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Senne Lammens will start in goal as usual, while the back-four should be constituted of Diogo Dalot, Ayden Heaven, Lisandro Martinez, and Luke Shaw. In the middle of the park, Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro should link up in the double pivot.

Why Jack Fletcher could be set for full Man Utd debut

On Tuesday, Amorim received some heat after hooking Joshua Zirkzee at half-time, despite having scored the opener. Nevertheless, the 40-year-old argued that he felt the team was unbalanced, so he decided to introduce an extra midfielder in Jack Fletcher.

Although this tweak didn’t work to perfection, Amorim felt his side improved after the break. Hence, the 18-year-old could be given the nod from the start after making three straight appearances off the bench against Aston Villa, Newcastle and Wolves. This would mark Fletcher’s full debut with the senior Man Utd team.

With the teenager playing as an attacking midfielder, Matheus Cunha will operate in his usual role on the left flank, with Patrick Dorgu replicating his positive experience on the right wing, and Benjamin Sesko leading the line.

Man Utd predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Heaven, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Ugarte; Dorgu, J. Fletcher, Cunha; Sesko