Man Utd predicted XI vs Aston Villa: ‘Frightening’ star to be dropped for first time this season | OneFootball

Manchester United are preparing to host Aston Villa in a vital showdown in the race for the Champions League, and Michael Carrick’s lineup might feature one or two surprises. The Premier contest will take place at the Old Trafford. It kicks off on Sunday, 14:00 UK time.

The two clubs are are tied on 51 points in third place, but Chelsea and Liverpool are breathing down theirs necks, so the loser could be thumped out of the Top 5 by the end of the weekend.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Carrick confirmed Mason Mount’s return to training, but he’s still not fit enough to take part in the action. On the other hand, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, and Patrick Dorgu have yet to recover.

Diogo Dalot back in Man Utd starting lineup

With Lisandro and De Ligt ruled out of action, Leny Yoro should partner Harry Maguire at the heart of the backline. Ayden Heaven represents the first option off the bench.

Luke Shaw and Noussair Mazraoui have both recovered from the knocks they suffered against Newcastle, but starting them both would be risky. Therefore, the Englishman would like get the nod on the left side of the defence, with Diogo Dalot regaining his place on the right.

Since Carrick’s arrival, there has never been any doubts iin the double pivot, with Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro emerging as the ultimate first choice, while Bruno Fernandes returned to operate as an attacking midfielder.

Should Carrick drop Bryan Mbeumo from his lineup against Aston Villa?

The biggest dilemma facing the Man Utd manager concerns the attacking slots. Amad Diallo has recently been reduced to a bench role to make room for the in-form Benjamin Sesko. However, the Ivorian arguably produced more in his cameos than Bryan Mbeumo, who looked out of sorts in his last two outings.

The Cameroonian has arguably been standout player for United this season alongside Bruno. Ian Wright described Mbeumo as a ‘frightening’ player ahead of the Arsenal clash. However, his recent displays, coupled with Amad’s encouraging signs off the bench, could prompt Carrick to do the switch.

When available, the former Brentford star has never been dropped from the starting XI in a Premier League contest since joining Man Utd. The only matches he didn’t start were those that occurred while he away at AFCON.

Starting with the 26-year-old on the bench wouldn’t deminish his value, as almost every Man Utd outfielder, except for Bruno and Casemiro has been dropped at one point.

Moreover, it would be interesting to see how a fresh Mbeumo would perform against tired opponents when coming off the bench.

Man Utd Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko