Kobbie Mainoo could finally be set for an opportunity under Ruben Amorim following a worrying injury update.
Manchester United are preparing to face West Ham United on Thursday evening in the Premier League in the hope of recording back-to-back wins after their 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at the weekend.
The clash with the Hammers starts a run of six winnable fixtures during the month of December and Amorim will be desperate to get some serious points on the board in order to bolster their hopes of securing an impressive position in the table.
However the Red Devils could be without a key man for the clash with the East Londoners.
Bruno Fernandes A Doubt For Man United
Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in action with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall opened the scoring against Manchester United. Credit: REUTERS/Phil Noble
Man United could be without a number of players for the clash with West Ham, including talisman Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese star looked to be in some discomfort in the latter stages of the win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Matheus Cunha is fit to return, while Harry Maguire and Benjamin Sesko are ruled out.
While Amorim didn't confirm Fernandes' situation, he did hint at a couple of surprise absentees going into the contest with Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
"We have two doubts for the game," Amorim said pre-match.
"I will not tell you today because it will change the way we are going to approach so let's see if they can play. The rest of the squad is good, Matheus is back but I have two players who maybe they cannot play."
Kobbie Mainoo Must Grasp Opportunity
kobbie mainoo manchester united-1
Man United will be desperate for Bruno Fernandes to be involved against West Ham. If he's not, it could pave the way for an opportunity for Kobbie Mainoo.
Hailed as a 'complete' player, the young midfielder has endured a hugely frustrating time under Amorim having started just once this term in the EFL Cup. Outside of that, Mainoo has been limited to nine substitute appearances in the Premier League totaling just 171 minutes.
It remains to be seen if the 20-year-old has a long-term future at Old Trafford under the Portuguese boss, but this could be a massive opportunity to show what he's capable of.
Previous to Amorim's reign, Mainoo was regarded as arguably the hottest prospect in the Premier League so to see his career stall since then has been very disappointing. That said, he's still very young and only needs one big performance to remind people of his obvious talents.
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