Viktoria Plzen stadium
Image Credits: Getty Images
Ruben Amorim has revealed one of his starting squad ahead of the clash with Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League.
A 24-man squad flew to the Czech Republic yesterday as United head into their sixth game of the Europa League group stages.
United and Plzen are sat in 12th and 13th in the league, with The Red Devils one place ahead. Currently, both sides are set for the Round of 16, however, with three games left, and only four points clear of the cut-off, a win tonight is essential for safety.
One area of contention for Amorim is the left-wing-back role, a position which also plagued Erik ten Hag.
With Luke Shaw routinely injured and Tyrell Malacia also side-lined, United have been searching for other alternatives to sign in the coming months.
Yesterday The Red Devils entered a verbal pre-contract agreement with Cerro Porteo for 17-year-old Diego Leon. As it stands, the Paraguayan defender is set to join United in June 2025, after his 18th birthday.
However, United are also front runners to sign Alphonso Davies on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.
Unfortunately in both instances, United won’t get a new left-back until the summer, having to rely on the current squad to cover.
Now, Amorim has announced that Malacia will be starting against Viktoria Plzen, with the Dutch defender joining him for the pre-match conference.
Speaking to MUTV ahead of the game about his team selection, Amorim announced: “Just Jonny Evans is recovering.”
He continued: “I think the rest of the guys are ready to play. That is a good sign. All of our staff did a great job [in] recovering the players.
“We are, in this moment, managing the load. They are getting fitter and we get stronger with that. It was good to train with all the guys. We don’t have time but we have a lot of players to choose.
“That is an important thing for winning games.”
Malacia appears to be given the chance to show his potential in the left-wing-back role to give Amorim anothe option for the role rather than just Diogo Dalot.
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