Erik ten Hag hopes to rotate his Manchester United squad for Thursday’s Europa League game against Sheriff Tiraspol, but still secure all the points.
United need to win Thursday’s match at Old Trafford if they are to keep their chances of finishing top of Group E alive.
This year’s format was changed and only the top teams from each group qualify directly for the Round of 16. The teams in second place will have to play an additional two-legged tie to advance.
European prospects for United
And that additional draw will be against teams falling out of the Champions League, something the Red Devils should try to avoid considering the already packed schedule.
Facundo Pellistri: “Yes, it’s incredible. Training alongside players of that category, they’re top players, top players and you learn a lot from them. I’m very happy to share the training ground and, of course, the locker room with these guys.” [mu] #mulive
— utdcrib (@utdcrib) October 27, 2022
The home game represents the best opportunity for Ten Hag to give some players some much-needed rest ahead of crucial league tests ahead of the World Cup.
One of those players who hopes to participate is Facundo Pellistri. The 20-year-old is yet to make his United debut despite signing with the club in 2020.
He had two disappointing loan spells at Alaves and was also subject to a lot of loan interest in the summer. He enjoyed a decent pre-season for the Red Devils, then scored against Liverpool in the first game.
But an unfortunate injury sustained during the penultimate pre-season game against Atletico Madrid meant his chances of a temporary switch evaporated and he had to stay at Carrington to recover from the injury.
Now, the former Peñarol returns to training and has even been part of the squad for the last seven games. And the remaining games in Europe and the only EFL Cup tie before the Qatar showpiece represent his best chance to make his debut.
Pellistri to debut?
Ten Hag hinted at giving the Uruguayan international a chance to reach the 20-time English champions. Not only Pellistri, but attacking academy graduates like Alejandro Garnacho and Zidane Iqbal are also keen to impress the Dutchman.
“He was injured, [for a] long period,” Ten Hag told reporters ahead of Sheriff Tiraspol’s visit. “[Against] Atletico Madrid, [he got a] bad wound. So now it’s coming back.
“We have some young players at the bottom in offensive positions.
“Pretty good competition there and they have to fight to convince us, to convince me to be in the team, and he is one of the options.”
United hope to pick up all the points and reduce the goal difference between them and group leaders Sociedad. The youngsters will try to light it up under the lights of Old Trafford.
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