Christian Eriksen has been handed a rare Premier League start for Arsenal's visit to Old Trafford to face Man United.
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16:19, 09 Mar 2025
Ruben Amorim conducts a pre-match TV interview.
Ruben Amorim has addressed his starting XI.(Image: MUTV.)
Ruben Amorim has cited rotation as the reason behind Christian Eriksen making his first Premier League start of 2025 ahead of this afternoon's clash with Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Amorim has made two changes for the visit of the Gunners, drafting Victor Lindelof and Eriksen into the starting XI in place of Patrick Dorgu and Rasmus Hojlund respectively. Dorgu is absent from the matchday squad due to suspension.
Hojlund's omission from the starting XI suggests that it will be Joshua Zirkzee who will lead United's attack, supported by Alejandro Garnacho and Eriksen from the two No.10 positions.
Hojlund has been named on the bench alongside a crop of youngsters, including fellow striker Chido Obi. The latter is back in the squad after being unavailable for the midweek Europa League clash with Real Sociedad.
Explaining why Eriksen is starting, Amorim told MUTV: "It is the rotation of the team; we need a fresh team to face all the games. He has the quality to have possession.
"He is really strong near the box, he can shoot, he can score and we try to use different players in different games."
On Hojlund's omission, Amorim continued: His freshness. I think he was really fatigued at the end of the game (vs Sociedad). We try different things.
"We know the opposition's centre-backs, we know what they think and what they like, and we try different things to surprise the opponent."
United's clash with Arsenal is sandwiched between the two legs of their Europa League last-16 tie with Sociedad, with Thursday night's second leg at Old Trafford a far more important contest than this afternoon's tussle with the Gunners.
However, Amorim is keen to give something back to the fans.
"Let's just focus on one game at a time, we know that it is another big challenge in the Premier League," Amorim added. "We are facing a very, very good team.
"We know what this means to our supporters so we want to be competitive and fight for the win."