Lakshay Khurana
Strongest Possible Manchester United XI To Face West Ham
West Ham United hosts Manchester United in the replay of the FA Cup quarter-final. Manchester United come back in action after a terrible loss to Spurs in the Premier League while the Hammers disallowed Arsenal to get 3 points with coming level to 3-3 after trailing by 2 goals, courtesy of Andy Carroll’s hattrick.
It is not just the awful performance from the Red Devils that is the worry, but also the form that West Ham is in.
Louis Van Gaal’s side march on to the Upton Park hoping to do well in the only chance they have of winning any silverware this year.
Let’s look at how Van Gaal might line-up his side against the Hammers on Wednesday.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: David De Gea
There’s never a doubt regarding this guy’s selection in the starting XI. His performance is always remarkable no matter the team wins or loses.
Defenders: Matteo Darmian, Chris Smalling, Dailey Blind, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Probably the worst line out of the three areas on the pitch for United. Matteo Darmian and Borthwick-Jackson might start as the full backs on Wednesday. Timothy Fosu-Mensah gave a tremendous performance on Sunday in the Premier League but was forced out of the pitch due to an injury and is not expected to start or even appear in the FA Cup fixture. Marcos Rojo will hopefully not be selected after an awful display against Spurs where he was totally ineffective.
As per centre-backs, Chris Smalling, and Dailey Blind are the only better choice Van Gaal has. Phil Jones has also returned from injury and is back in training but it is doubtful if he is fit or in form enough to start in the FA Cup match.
Midfielders: Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial
Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera are most likely to lineup as the central defensive midfielders. Michael Carrick has been extremely inconsistent this season and his display against the 3-0 defeat against Spurs will probably see him warming the bench against the Hammers.
We will hope that the Dutch manager comes back to his normal senses and plays Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard at their original and preferred positions, i.e., no.10 and right wing respectively.
Forward: Marcus Rashford
Even though the youngster was substituted at halftime on Sunday, he will still probably start in the FA Cup replay. Rashford is the best choice United have for the forward position currently, apart from Anthony Martial.
No matter how disappointed Van Gaal was from Rashford’s performance, the 18-year-old should be still given a start just for the sake of many post-match interview embarrassments he saved the Dutch boss from. And we will expect him not to be replaced by Ashley Young again. Seriously.
Substitutes:
Sergio Romero
Michael Carrick
Antonio Valencia
Phil Jones
Wayne Rooney
Memphis Depay
Ashley Young
