Injuries and suspensions have forced Ruben Amorim to give last chances to three Manchester United stars against Aston Villa.
Amorim‘s side have improved this season, though their lack of consistency has prevented them from taking control in the race for Champions League qualification.
Man Utd will move back above Liverpool and into fifth in the Premier League if they beat Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, though this will be far from easy.
This is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Aston Villa are the form team in the Premier League as they have emerged as credible challenges for the title.
Also, Man Utd are low on numbers for this game, with Amorim resorting to giving final chances to three under-fire players.
As mentioned above, Man Utd are certainly on track, with this following a positive summer transfer window, during which they overhauled their attack, signed a new No.1 goalkeeper and offloaded most of their dead wood.
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The impact of this business has been clear for all to see, but the Red Devils still have plenty to do in the next two transfer windows if they are to get back to where they want to be under Amorim.
As was the case in the summer, INEOS could make sales to raise funds for signings in priority positions, including centre-midfield, wing-back and centre-back.
This means a few Man Utd players are fighting for their futures at Old Trafford, particularly Manuel Ugarte.
The £42m signing has proven a huge disappointment at Man Utd and has even struggled under Amorim, who worked with the midfielder at Sporting Lisbon.
This has seen Ugarte being reduced to a bit-part player this season, with reports claiming the club are planning to ‘sacrifice’ him in January to fund other deals.
To avoid this from happening, Ugarte really needs to take his rare opportunity from the start against Aston Villa, with Casemiro’s one-game suspension and Kobbie Mainoo’s slight injury forcing Amorim to start him alongside Bruno Fernandes.
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Man Utd could have no other option but to cut ties with Ugarte if his struggles continue against Aston Villa, with Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu in a similar boat.
Shaw should be a good fit for Amorim’s system due to his ability to operate in various positions, but his best days are clearly behind him as he has been a real weak link in Man Utd’s defence this term.
This has fueled heavy criticism, but he remains in Man Utd’s starting XI as Lisandro Martinez builds match fitness, with a return to form needed to prevent the World Cup winner from taking his place.
Regarding Dorgu, Man Utd are said to have ‘doubts’ about the wing-back, who is clearly raw and has struggled following his £29m move from Lecce in January.
Amad Diallo’s absence due to the African Cup of Nations means Dorgu starts against Aston Villa as Diogo Dalot moves to the right, with his performance this afternoon to have a role in determining his standing at Man Utd heading into next year.
Man Utd’s XI vs Aston Villa is as follows: Lammens, Dalot, Yoro, Heaven, Shaw, Dorgu, Ugarte, Fernandes, Cunha, Mount, Sesko.
Their bench is noticeably weak, too, with two goalkeepers and five youngsters making the squad.