All eyes are on Michael Carrick as doubts grow over his future ahead of Manchester United’s next match against Bournemouth.
After losing 4-1 to Como on Wednesday night, Michael Carrick appears to be on a cliff edge, balancing for his job amid talk of other managers expressing interest. Carrick needs a win on Sunday and there’s no getting away from that.
Bournemouth beat AC Milan 3-0 midweek and will have plenty of momentum behind them when they come to Old Trafford, despite their Premier League form being a mixed bag under Marco Rose. If they can play with the same intensity that stunned Milan on Thursday night, it could be a long evening for Carrick and the Reds at Old Trafford.
For Carrick, the job on Sunday is to stop the rot. That is why we’ve made some changes to the team for our predicted XI against Bournemouth.
Predicted Manchester United XI vs Bournemouth
Bournemouth will arrive at Old Trafford with a spring in their step after a historic win in the Europa League. They sang chants towards Ruben Amorim in heavy rain and celebrated late into the match, as it was a comfortable win over the Italian giants.
Carrick will be mindful of that, as well as how much energy they showed against Milan. The best scenario for United is that Bournemouth go into the game feeling the midweek game in their legs. Some might say the same could apply to United had they made the same efforts as Como on Wednesday night.
Here’s the United In Focus predicted XI for United vs Bournemouth.
Senne Lammens: One player whose place in the team is rightly guaranteed when fit. It’s a matter of convenience for many others because Carrick isn’t blessed with being stocked in every department. Lammens is still looking to keep his first clean sheet in the Premier League this season.
Diogo Dalot: Despite poor form, Dalot plays when fit. We’ve come to terms with this.
Leny Yoro: Carrick will have more options at centre-back than midweek. Yoro should be straight back into the team after his European suspension against Como.
Harry Maguire: As we didn’t receive an update on Lisandro Martinez’s injury at Friday’s press conference, we’re going to assume the Argentine won’t be available for selection. In that case, Carrick will opt for Maguire ahead of Matthijs de Ligt, who was probably asked to play more minutes in his first game back after 11 months out than Carrick had planned during the week.
Ayden Heaven: Missing the game midweek with illness, it will be a boost to have Heaven back. Carrick will likely shoehorn him into the left-back role if Shaw is still out. It’s not ideal for the young centre-back, but Yoro has also been asked to play out of position this season. It’s a way to prove themselves while getting more minutes under their belt.
Andrey Santos: Kobbie Mainoo is still out injured, so Santos is getting a run in the team. United lost the midfield battle against Como, and Bournemouth won’t give them much space to breathe on the ball. The Brazilian will need to be a lot better than he was on Wednesday night.
Carlos Baleba: Missing from the starting line-up during the week, it was too late by the time Baleba came on because a half was played, and United never got going. He needs to be involved from the start against Bournemouth and be ready for an intense midfield battle with the Cherries.
Amad Diallo: Got his first assist of the season against Como to set up Joshua Zirkzee in stoppage time. Amad will be eager to score his first Premier League goal of the season this weekend to inspire United to a much-needed win.
Youri Tielemans: We need to see something from Tielemans in the No. 10 role if he’s to stay there, with Bruno Fernandes shoved out wide. The Belgian has plenty of Premier League experience, but he hasn’t played well since signing for United in the summer.
Bruno Fernandes: Talk about stripping Fernandes of the captain’s armband will die down when he takes to the pitch wearing it on Sunday. Everyone needs a lift at Old Trafford, especially the Portuguese playmaker.
Bryan Mbeumo: The only man to lead the line this weekend is Mbeumo. Zirkzee may have scored against Como, but nobody is naive enough to think United will be any stronger with the Dutch forward up front.