Manchester United will be rubbing the shoulders with Manchester City when they travel to the Etihad Stadium. It will be a tough test for Pep Guardiola who for the first team in his career set to finish a season without a trophy. Jose Mourinho will be much relaxed as his side are in a more positive situation.
Marcus Rashford
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s injury has turned out to be a quite bad one for Manchester United but time has come for Jose Mourinho to use Marcus Rashford as a fully fledged striker. The teenager has been mostly used as a wingman and a second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
There was panic among the Manchester United ranks as the player was going through an off form for a brief period. Goals were not coming as the England youngster seemed to be a completely different player from last season. Rashford burst into the team in the last season when he made his debut under former manager Louis Van Gaal. People had a rough idea about him when he scored a brace against Arsenal on his Premier League debut. After that, he went on to have a fantastic season which evaluates his talent.
But in this season he hasn’t got a chance so far upfront until the last few matches. It is now a golden chance for Rashford to be a striking force in the Manchester United first team. His preferred position has always been the centre-forward and he will be the main man till the end of the season.
Ander Herrera
The midfielder has been the difference between Manchester United and other teams in this season. The Spaniard has emerged as a surprise package this season as he has been a constant in the United starting lineup. With Paul Pogba injured he will have the license to roam more forward. He did not take part in the Europa League win over Anderlecht a few days ago but was back against Burnley at his usual best. The 27-year-old virtually covered every corner of the ground and also provided the much important assist to Anthony Martial who opened the scoring for the Red Devils.
Mourinho needs Herrera to track the movement of the City attackers who have Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and David Silva among the notables.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
If United are to sink City this Armenian playmaker has to play his natural game. Very swift on the ball, Mkhitaryan has the ability to terrify opponent defence with his skills and dribbles. City’s defence has been shaky and with John Stones injured this is the best time for Mourinho to unleash the player.
