Meghna Sengupta
After a dismal stalemate against West Ham United, Manchester United are gearing up to face Watford for their final league game of this season. We managed to steal a solitary point against the Hammers which helped us secure the runners-up spot but it is evident that we barely scraped through.
To end the season on a strong note, it is important for United to register a solid victory against Watford. However, it won’t be a walk in the park since Javi Gracia’s men are placed 13th in the league standings and a win could propel them to a top-10 finish.
As far as team news is concerned, Jose Mourinho has confirmed that he will make 7 changes for the game. Our gaffer explained his stance and reasoning behind choosing a starting XI for the highly-anticipated final game of the league campaign. (Manchester Evening News)
When asked if he would hand starts to any of the younger stars, Mourinho said:
“No, I play some players that didn’t play today, I play Romero, I play Daley Blind, I play Eric Bailly, I play Rashford, I play Martial, I play Mata.”
“I have every player apart from Fellaini and Lukaku available and I don’t go to the young players.”
With a crucial FA Cup final clash coming up against Chelsea, United will be wary of tiring their key players out and it makes sense for Mourinho to make these changes.
Furthermore, this will mark Michael Carrick’s last game for United. Mourinho confirmed that Carrick will, in fact, make his 464th appearance to bid adieu to the fans but that he won’t feature for most of the game. The Portuguese tactician went on to add that he is not as saddened by Carrick’s retirement since he will be working closely with the Manchester United squad.
Well, it looks like the game against Watford will have a lot of emotion for the fans. Let’s hope we are able to secure a positive result at the end of it.
