Manchester United predicted line-up vs. Newport County: Six changes made as key players prepare to return

Manchester United’s first game in a fortnight will see them take on League Two side Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup this Sunday – and Erik ten Hag could take the opportunity to reintegrate several members of the squad who are returning from injury lay-offs.

No fewer than four players who have missed multiple matches with fitness problems are in line to feature against the Welsh outfit, who are 14th in the fourth tier and needed a replay to beat non-league Eastleigh in the third round – but The Exiles are on a seven-match unbeaten run and come into the game at Rodney Parade in good form, so an upset may not be out of the question in what will be the first ever meeting between the two teams.

We’ve collated all of the latest team news and injury updates ahead of an intriguing cup tie, and ventured our best guess at Ten Hag’s starting eleven below.

Goalkeeper & Defence

First-choice goalkeeper André Onana is still on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations – they face Nigeria in the round of 16 on Saturday. Should the Indomitable Lions lose that match, then Onana could be available to play against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday, but in the meantime it is expected that summer signing Altay Bayindir will make his United debut.

The Turk may be protected by a couple of key players who are making their way back from injury – Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are both back in full training and could be in line to feature, although Maguire remains a doubt. Victor Lindelöf remains at least a couple of weeks away from a return following groin surgery in December, while left-back Tyrell Malacia remains unavailable thanks to the knee injury which has prevented him from playing this season. Promising young centre-half Willy Kambwala could be given another chance to impress.

Midfield

Casemiro could play against Newport after recovering from a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since October – the former Real Madrid man was named on the bench for the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, but could get on the field this weekend.

Mason Mount is also expected to play following his recovery from a calf injury that has kept the former Chelsea man out for over two months, and it’s possible that he will be given a chance to ease his way back into form ahead of Bruno Fernandes. Sofyan Amrabat is the only midfielder who is guaranteed to miss out, with his Morocco side facing South Africa on Tuesday at AFCON 2023.

Forwards

On Wednesday, United announced that French forward Anthony Martial had undergone successful surgery to address a groin issue. He is expected to be out for 10 weeks as he recuperates. As a result, it is likely that young Danish striker Rasmus Højlund continues to start up front as he did in the third round tie against Wigan Athletic.

Amad Diallo could play in just his second game of the season after injury, but Ten Hag may go with a strong forward line as he looks to avoid an upset and play his forwards back into some of the form that has been hard to come by so far this season.

Manchester United predicted line-up vs Newport County

Bayindir; Shaw, Varane, Kambwala, Wan-Bissaka; Mainoo, McTominay, Mount; Rashford, Antony, Højlund.