Gary Neville names Man Utd star ‘cautious’ Carrick will DROP for Liverpool showdown | OneFootball

Gary Neville believes Michael Carrick will look to make a major change to his starting XI for Manchester United’s clash with bitter Premier League rivals Liverpool on Sunday, with a top star set to be benched.

The Red Devils are on the brink of securing a spot in the Champions League for next season after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Brentford in the Monday Night Football at Old Trafford.

First-half strikes from Casemiro and the in-form Benjamin Sesko put Man Utd in a strong position in an end-to-end contest in which the visitors missed a whole host of chances.

Carrick then opted to mix things up at the break by switching to Ruben Amorim’s ill-fated 3-5-2 formation, with Noussair Mazraoui replacing Amad Diallo, and United looked more solid until Mathias Jensen late strike made for a nervy finish.

Amad’s form has been indifferent for United, and Neville thinks there is a strong chance he will be dropped in favour of Matheus Cunha for the game against Liverpool, if the Brazilian is fit.

Neville told Sky Sports: “If Cunha is fit, I think he will go with Cunha and Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes and Sesko. I think he’ll go with that four and I’m not sure Amad will play.

“But I think you’ll see a more cautious, tighter more compact, more defensively focused Manchester United than you saw in that first half tonight.”

Man Utd unlikely to keep back five

As for the likelihood of Carrick retaining Amorim’s old system against Liverpool, Neville added: “I don’t think he’ll start with five at the back, I think that would be wrong. He won’t do that, let’s be absolutely clear.

“But he will get them a lot more switched on defensively. He will be a lot more compact and tight and it will be a case of not making mistakes. Let’s go and make Liverpool nervous.

“I think Liverpool, likewise, will not want to be opened up. I think it could be more of a game of chess on Sunday.

“Not quite as much as it was in the second half against Brentford but I think it could be more of a struggle of a game where both managers are going to be quite cautious.

“Not in the teams they pick but in the way they instruct their players to go out there and be compact and defensively solid.”

As for Cunha’s chances of being fit to face Arne Slot’s men, having missed the Brentford clash with a hip injury, Carrick told Sky Sports: “He had a bit of a sore hip flexor after the game against Chelsea.

“He was looking quite promising during the week. We thought he’d be okay but he didn’t quite progress quick enough. It’s nothing too serious.”