Manchester United predicted line-up vs. Fulham: six changes made with key midfielder among players dropped

Coming off the back of consecutive 3-0 defeats at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s game against Fulham on Saturday afternoon has taken on a new edge, with speculation over head coach Erik ten Hag’s future mounting quickly. A bad result at Craven Cottage may be see the pressure on the Dutchman become intolerable.

If he is to turn things around after the crushing Manchester derby defeat and Wednesday’s unceremonious exit from the EFL Cup, he will have to do so without the services of Casemiro. The Brazilian midfielder was injured before half-time against Newcastle United, but at least there has been some good news concerning the lengthy list of injuries United have endured in defence.

We’ve wrapped up all the latest team news and injury updates here, along with our predicted line-up for what could be a crucial game for Ten Hag, and may even determine his United future.

Goalkeeper & Defence

The best news to come out of the thumping at the hands of Newcastle was that right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka was able to come through 45 minutes of football unscathed. The former Crystal Palace defender had been out for several weeks with a hamstring injury, and while Ten Hag may not judge him ready to start just yet, he will at least be in the squad barring any further setbacks. Victor Lindelöf has come down with an unspecified illness, however, and could miss out.

Sadly, there are no such positive updates on the conditions of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martínez or Tyrell Malacia, all of whom remain unavailable for this weekend, although Malacia is at least back in training as he builds his way back towards match fitness. There has not yet been any indications as to whether Raphaël Varane, who was surprisingly omitted from the starting line-up against City and then left out of the squad altogether against Newcastle, will play or not but his absence is believed to have been tactical, with no reports of a fresh injury for the Frenchman.

Midfield

Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, only just back from an ankle injury that caused him to miss the Manchester derby, was replaced at half-time on Wednesday after picking up a fresh knock, with Ten Hag since confirming that the former Real Madrid man will certainly miss this weekend’s game and that he’ll be out for a few weeks. A further update on his condition is expected in Friday’s pre-match press conference, with United fans hoping that one of their most important players won’t be out for too long.

The only other doubt ahead of the trip to West London is Kobbie Mainoo, who is making his way back from an injury sustained in pre-season – there’s some chance he’s ready for the bench, but it’s more likely that he remains unavailable.

Forwards

There have been no fresh injury concerns for Ten Hag’s misfiring forward line, with Amad Diallo still working his way back to full fitness after a pre-season injury of his own, while Jadon Sancho remains out of consideration after falling out with the manager. United’s front threes have scored just one goal in total in the Premier League this season, a damning statistic which will surely need to change if Ten Hag is turn the ship around.

Full predicted line-up vs. Fulham

Onana; Reguilón, Varane, Maguire, Dalot; Amrabat, Eriksen, McTominay; Rashford, Højlund, Fernandes.