Updated team news ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Huddersfield
Manchester United will look to keep track with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League when Saturday’s 3pm fixtures kick off and Jose Mourinho’s side will also have something to prove after coming in for criticism in their last two matches.
The Red Devils looked to have lost their momentum in the last seven days after making a breathtaking start to the campaign but that could change when they play away to Huddersfield later this afternoon.
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Huddersfield started the season impressively but are now sliding down the table, with only three points separating them from the relegation zone ahead of gameweek 9. The Terriers are winless in six matches and have failed to score in five of those. Now they welcome a Manchester United side that have kept seven clean sheets in eight league matches.
However, David Wagner’s side should be boosted by the long awaited return of star striker Steve Mounie after he trained all week without problem following a heel injury. Huddersfield have only scored once in that period and he will certainly add greater threat to their attack.
It’s not all good news for the newly promoted Premier League side, as Wagner confirmed impressive midfielder Philip Billing would be sidelined for the next three months after suffering a serious ankle injury in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Swansea.
United were relieved to find out Marcus Rashford had escaped any serious injury after limping off with a knee problem during their 1-0 win away to Benfica on Wednesday, but he should drop to the bench in favour of Anthony Martial. Mourinho has alternated between the two in every single game this season and that will continue here.
With Eric Bailly sidelined once again, Mourinho will welcome Phil Jones’ return to fitness as it could have meant handing Victor Lindelof his full league debut and the Sweden international has struggled to adapt to English football since signing from Benfica in the summer.
Mourinho has confirmed he still has no idea when Paul Pogba will return, but it shouldn’t be too much longer after stepping up his recovery with more vigorous workouts in recent weeks. The France international has missed United’s last seven matches and his absence is beginning to be felt in midfield.
There was another boost for the away side after Mourinho confirmed Zlatan Ibrahimovic will play again this year, while Marcos Rojo has entered the final stage of his recovery and could even return before the end of the month.
Elsewhere, there could be some surprise changes from the away side as Mourinho looks to shuffle his pack. It’s not often Antonio Valencia plays three times in the space of seven days and he might be given a rest here, with Ashley Young set to play after being rested against Benfica.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan also looked like he could do with some time out after turning in a turgid performance against Benfica. The Armenia international was not seen with the rest of the United squad on the eve of today's game and could be replaced in the team by Jesse Lingard, who has mainly been used as a substitute this season.
