Kobbie Mainoo and Benjamin Sesko will start in a much-changed Manchester United starting lineup against Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup second-round tie at Blundell Park.
Manchester United will aim to reach the EFL Cup third round when they lock horns with Grimsby Town at Blundell Park on Wednesday night. Ruben Amorim has no new issues to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Lisandro Martinez is a long-term absentee, with the Argentine international recovering from a knee injury that will keep him on the sidelines until October. However, Noussair Mazraoui is closing in on returning from a hamstring issue.
While the Moroccan international is on the cusp of “approaching full fitness again” and returning to action, Amorim is being cautious with his fitness. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, the Portuguese tactician provided a fitness update on Mazraoui.
The Manchester United manager said, “No, maybe he is going to return next week, we will see. But he’s near, we are just finishing some drills with him to be sure that he’s not going to have another problem.”
Meanwhile, Amorim also addressed questions about possible rotations in the EFL Cup tie with Grimsby Town. He said, “Yes. Yes, we have three games this week, we have quality players, and we need to do rotation to try to win every game.”
Amorim will likely make heavy rotations to the starting lineup on Wednesday, with Andre Onana replacing Altay Bayindir between the sticks. Manchester United will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of the Cameroonian international, with Tyler Fredricson, Harry Maguire, and Ayden Heaven forming the central defensive unit. So, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Luke Shaw will get some rest.
Diogo Dalot and Diego Leon should start as the two wing-backs, with Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte pairing up in the middle of the park. Benjamin Sesko will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Grimsby Town, with Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee completing the numbers in the final third. So, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo will be backup options on the bench.
Predicted Manchester United XI: Onana; Fredricson, Maguire, Heaven; Dalot, Mainoo, Ugarte, Leon; Bruno Fernandes, Zirkzee; Sesko