Darren Fletcher provides selection hint with £65m Man Utd star ruled out vs Brighton
Manchester United interim manager Darren Fletcher has provided a selection hint ahead of the FA Cup third round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford tomorrow.
The Red Devils played out a third-straight league draw (2-2) against Burnley on Wednesday. They dominated proceedings with 30 attempts on goal, but could not find the winner.
United will be aiming to return to winning ways against the Seagulls. It could be another tricky affair, given the South Coast outfit shared the spoils at Manchester City in midweek.
Ahead of the game, Fletcher has already hinted that Bryan Mbeumo, who was signed for £65 million from Brentford last summer, won’t play any part against Brighton after Cameroon’s quarter-final exit to Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Mbeumo and Mazraoui were in action for Cameroon and Morocco respectively last night. Morocco progressed to the last four after a comfortable 2-0 victory on their home turf.
With the very short turnaround time before Sunday’s 4.30pm kick-off, Fletcher said that the player returning early from the AFCON won’t be available for selection versus Brighton.
The same could be the case for Amad Diallo. The Ivorian is in action against Egypt tonight and will surely be absent for the FA Cup tie tomorrow if his country were to bow out of the AFCON.
This means Fletcher won’t have any returnees in the final third compared to the Burnley game.
Bruno Fernandes should be a nailed-on starter in the number 10 role with Benjamin Sesko upfront. The latter scored a fantastic brace against the Clarets on the road earlier this week.
Patrick Dorgu had a fantastic showing from the left wing. The Dane won 12 duels, made 10 recoveries, created five chances and delivered a peach of a cross for Sesko’s second goal.
After Luke Shaw’s average outing, there is a possibility that Dorgu could move to left-back tomorrow.
This could mean Matheus Cunha slotting on the left wing after his struggles on the right at Burnley.
We would love to see Fletcher unleash Shea Lacey for his full debut on the right wing. The youngster almost scored a superb winner from long-range but was denied by the woodwork.
It was a splendid cameo from the 18-year-old. If Lacey starts, he could make it difficult for Maxim de Cuyper, who is vulnerable in one-on-one defensive situations against quick dribbling wingers.
However, we won’t be surprised if Fletcher goes for an experienced head due to the competition’s importance. Winning the FA Cup provides silverware and a Europa League spot.
Mason Mount could be tasked to operate from the right wing against the Seagulls.
Stats from Sofascore.com
Article written by Sri Aswin .