Man Utd predicted line-up vs. Ipswich: Mainoo among eight doubts ahead of Amorim's first match
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On Sunday, Rúben Amorim will take charge of his first Premier League game as Manchester United head coach – but he will be sweating on the fitness of at least eight first-team players ahead of the trip to Portman Road to take on Ipswich Town.
Potential starters including Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo and summer signing Leny Yoro are all on the comeback trail after significant injuries, but matters have been made worse over the international break, with Victor Lindelöf injured on Sweden duty while Lisandro Martínez was forced to withdraw from the Argentina squad.
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Hide AdWe’ve got all the latest team news and injury updates below, and have hazarded a guess at Amorim’s first startling line-up, based on the assumption that he plays with his preferred 3-4-3 formation from the start.
If you’re here looking for information ahead of the Fantasy Premier League deadline, then you can also find our resident expert’s latest FPL advice column by clicking here.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Whether he makes the change instantly or prefers to wait until he has had some chance to sculpt his squad in the transfer market, Amorim is likely to move Manchester United to a back three – but that will be made more challenging this weekend thanks to a slew of injuries.
Martínez, whose ball-playing skills and left-footedness mean he could become an extremely important player for Amorim, withdrew from Argentina’s squad after experiencing worsening back pain, and he is expected to be assessed ahead of Sunday’s game.
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Hide AdElsewhere, Lindelöf sustained an apparent hamstring injury while playing for Sweden and is now a doubt with the club not offering up a public prognosis as yet. Harry Maguire, Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are all expected to be too far short of match fitness to feature as they continue rehabilitation after long-term injuries.
There is, however, some chance that United fans get a first look at £52m centre-half Yoro, who has yet to make his competitive debut after breaking a metatarsal bone in pre-season. Yoro is now back in full team training and could feature, although he is unlikely to start.
Midfield
United have two injury concerns in midfield – Casemiro has reportedly picked up a knock, while Mainoo, who has been out for over a month since sustaining a muscular injury against Aston Villa in October, is heading back towards full fitness but remains a significant doubt for Amorim’s first match in charge. The status of youngster Toby Collyer, who withdrew from the squad to face Brentford last month with an injury and has not been seen since, is unknown.
There will also be intrigue as to the identity of the player selected on the wings – Amorim’s ‘wing-backs’ were very aggressive in his system at Sporting and it would be no surprise to see widemen like Amad Diallo or Alejandro Garnacho operating in those roles at some stage, especially if Diogo Dalot or Nouassir Mazraoui are required to cover in central defence due to injuries.
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United have a clean bill of health across the front line, so the biggest question will be over the composition of Amorim’s squad. He typically uses a classic number nine flanked by two slightly deeper supporting forwards, and we anticipate that Rasmus Højlund will lead the line to start with, but there are questions over who will play behind him.
Bruno Fernandes is more likely to fill this role for Amorim than he is to be used as a central midfielder given the more defensive nature of that position in the Portuguese coach’s teams, so he will compete with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee, Garnacho and Diallo for a place.
Onana; Martínez, De Ligt, Mazraoui; Diallo, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dalot; Rashford, Fernandes, Højlund.
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