Three Leicester players who should start vs Man United | OneFootball

The King Power Club are obviously a lost cause in the Premier League. The only goal now will be survival at any cost, including at cost of other competitions. Of course, this means the FA Cup: a chance for Foxes to impress, for Nistelrooy to make a change, or to stick with our guns and try to progress.

Personally, with relegation on the cards for the Dutchman, I would hope the focus is on the league and the cup considered a proving ground for talent rather than an actual objective. It is critical we do not repeat the mistakes in team selection during the league and give us a chance try out players not getting a look in.

Three players Nistelrooy should start

First and foremost must be to bring Kasey McAteer back in at either left or right wing depending on where the Dutchman wants to prioritise a transitional play: that is, where the priority is a player who can get back, help to win the ball, and then progress the ball through carry rather than passing. I would suggest right-wing since our left-backs are typically progressive.

The academy graduate offers Leicester City a lot. McAteer is versatile in both attacking and defensive scenarios: putting in tackles at the back, pressing at the front, getting crosses in, or even cutting inside to get a chance at goal. Against a team with the latent quality of Manchester United, versatility will be integral to have any chance of progressing through to the next stage.

Confusingly, in the Premier League matches, Facundo Buonanotte has seemingly annoyed Nistelrooy. The Foxes ought to start their most creative talent in this fixture. If the player has been involved in training, has been taking on whatever it is the Dutchman wants to see improved, then this is the chance to prove that before reintegration into the league squad. I would also still say he is one of the best talents we have at our disposal.

Again, the Argentinian midfielder offers the King Power side much. Primarily, Buonanotte is a high-pressing attacking-midfielder or forward who likes to egg the opposition into misplacing passes or attempt himself to win the ball with tackles. This will be crucial to disrupting the counter-attacking and devastating pace we could face against the Red Devils if allowed to get an accurate early pass off to their forwards.

Finally, dropping Wout Faes should be an obvious. Caleb Okoli has not been transferred away from the club in the winter window. It is time the Italian gets to play: I never saw anything majorly wrong with their game, although not particularly elite the player certainly offers a more composed talent that drops deeper. Meanwhile, the Belgian steps up a lot, leaving a massive gap which we scramble to try and fill. Okoli fixes that issue.

I would suggest Buonanotte on the left wing, McAteer on the right wing, and Okoli as right-sided centre-back with Conor Coady or Jannik Vestergaard at his partner. Should these players perform during the FA Cup tie, then they should get starting spots in the league squad to match.