Man United manager Erik ten Hag will have to make do without Antony against Leeds United on Wednesday night.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces something of an attacking conundrum ahead of this evening’s clash with Leeds United at Old Trafford.
United, who will move level on points with neighbours Manchester City with a victory, will be without summer signing Antony. The Brazilian will miss out through injury, though Ten Hag, speaking at his press conference yesterday, did not provide specific details about the severity of his injury or how long he could possibly be sidelined.
With Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial already missing through injury, and Casemiro out for the next three league games through suspension, Ten Hag’s options are becoming more and more limited. Tonight’s clash with Leeds is the Reds’ third outing of February already and they have another five games before the month is out after tonight’s contest.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces something of an attacking conundrum ahead of this evening’s clash with Leeds United at Old Trafford.
United, who will move level on points with neighbours Manchester City with a victory, will be without summer signing Antony. The Brazilian will miss out through injury, though Ten Hag, speaking at his press conference yesterday, did not provide specific details about the severity of his injury or how long he could possibly be sidelined.
With Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial already missing through injury, and Casemiro out for the next three league games through suspension, Ten Hag’s options are becoming more and more limited. Tonight’s clash with Leeds is the Reds’ third outing of February already and they have another five games before the month is out after tonight’s contest.
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Antony, though he has blown hot and cold during his first season at Old Trafford, has been an almost ever-present figure on the right-wing, with Ten Hag persevering with him to try and aid his adaptation to English football. It means the United boss will be forced into making one change to his front-three this evening, with Wout Weghorst and Marcus Rashford both expected to retain their places and start in attack.
With that said, MEN Sport has taken a close look at three ways United’s attack could look this evening:
The logical solution
With Antony unavailable, the most logical decision for Ten Hag to make would be to bring Jadon Sancho into the starting line-up and award him his first start since the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on October 22. He made his long-awaited return against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup last Wednesday evening, stepping off the bench in the second half, and was named among the substitutes again against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
But having stored just 27 minutes of football under his belt since October, Ten Hag may be reluctant to throw him straight into the starting line-up so soon after making his comeback, especially in a game of such magnitude against Leeds. On the flip side, however, he may view it as an opportunity for Sancho to prove where he is at, both physically and mentally with his comeback.
He was signed in July 2021 to play on the right-wing and this could be his chance to prove his worth. One man’s loss could be another man’s gain.
Front three: Sancho, Weghorst, Rashford.
Rashford switches sides
Despite his current run of form, Ten Hag could make the decision to switch Rashford to the right-wing and open the door for Alejandro Garnacho to start on the left. The duo have started as a wide paring a few times this season and that has often resulted in Rashford switching sides.
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