Man United will be hoping to avoid a Carabao Cup upset when they face League Two side Grimsby Town on Wednesday.
George is a Senior Football Writer for the Manchester Evening News, mostly covering Manchester United. He previously worked for football.london before joining the MEN team in July 2021. As well as covering United, George is a Championship-enthusiast and co-hosts The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24), which you can find on all major podcast platforms.
Benjamin Sesko in action for Manchester United against Fulham.
Benjamin Sesko will be eyeing his first start for Manchester United against Grimsby Town.
(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images.)
Manchester United will be targeting a first win of the season when they face Grimsby Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup at Blundell Park on Wednesday night.
As a result of failing to qualify for Europe this season, United are entering the competition at the second round stage for the first time since 2014 when they infamously lost 4-0 to MK Dons under Louis van Gaal.
The Reds will travel to Lincolnshire with the ambition of securing a first win of the campaign after squandering the lead to draw 1-1 with Fulham in the Premier League at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon.
Going up against League Two opposition, head coach Ruben Amorim is expected to rotate his pack, meaning he is poised to name a very different XI to the one that started at the weekend.
After playing no part in their opening two Premier League fixtures, Andre Onana could return to the fold and make his first appearance since the 1-0 defeat to the ASEAN All-Stars on the post-season tour in May. He missed pre-season through injury and was overlooked for the clashes with Arsenal and Fulham.
With strength in depth at the back available, Amorim is likely to rotate his back-three, meaning Tyler Fredricson, Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven could all start. Maguire came off the bench against both Arsenal and Fulham.
Amad and Patrick Dorgu were tasked with occupying the two wing-back berths at Craven Cottage, meaning Amorim could make changes out wide. However, Amad's withdrawal after 52 minutes at the weekend means he could keep his spot in the XI. As a result, Diogo Dalot could occupy the left wing-back berth at Dorgu's expense.
In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte could secure their first starts of the campaign, replacing Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
After making his first two United appearances via the bench, summer signing Benjamin Sesko will be eyeing his first start. The opportunity for him to lead the line against a League Two side and hopefully open his goalscoring account could be seen as the ideal opportunity for him to make his full debut.
In terms of the support acts, Joshua Zirkzee and Matheus Cunha could occupy the two No.10 positions. The latter is also still hunting for his first goal in United colours.
How Manchester United could line up against Grimsby Town.
United predicted XI vs Grimsby: Onana; Fredricson, Maguire, Heaven; Amad, Mainoo, Ugarte, Dalot; Zirkzee, Cunha; Sesko.