Sunday’s resounding 3-1 win over league leaders Arsenal means Manchester United have now posted four wins in a row and the gap between the table leaders and United has narrowed to just three points.
Erik ten Hag deserves credit for this rebound in form after a rough first two weeks and appears to have found his ideal line-up, which has only seen a solitary change in the last three weeks.
And the Dutchman will be keen to continue this winning momentum even in the Europa League, where United’s first match is against the toughest opposition in the group, Real Sociedad, at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Jones, Williams out
The Red Devils would have preferred to play in the Champions League, but last season’s disastrous performances have meant the club have to content themselves with playing in the secondary continental competition.
The Red Devils have named their squad for the tournament and it includes its fair share of surprise inclusions and exclusions.
Phil Jones, who has started just 8 times in the last four years, has rightly been omitted from the team. He is still out with an injury and hasn’t played more than two games in the last two years.
Another name that was meant to be left out is Brandon Williams. The young winger is still injured and even missed the preseason and the possibility of leaving the club in the summer.
Axel, Pellistri surprise inclusions
Surprisingly, Axel Tuanzebe and Facundo Pellistri have been included in the squad, despite both being injured at the moment.
Both came close to sealing exits in the summer, with Tuanzebe looking to leave his boyhood club permanently. There was interest from the Premier League clubs and Trabzonspor, but injury ruined those plans.
He even had to be sent home after pre-season due to his injury and there have been no further updates on him in recent weeks.
Congratulations to @agarnacho7 who has been included in the #MUFC Europa League squad for this season ????
Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri also included but on List B as well as Savage and Iqbal. @jb_8521 @mrmujac
— mufcacademy91 (@mufcacademy91) September 5, 2022
Pellistri was keen to go out on loan and various clubs in England, Spain, Italy and even Greece were interested, but an ankle injury sustained during the penultimate pre-season friendly against Atlético Madrid forced him to stay at the club.
Opportunity for young people to impress
The Uruguayan youngster had his chance during pre-season and even managed a goal against Liverpool and there is a chance that Ten Hag will want to see what he is made of during the group stage before deciding whether to send him on loan in January.
Anthony Elanga’s name has not been included as he qualifies for the B-list due to his age. All six new recruits have been named to the team.
In group stage matches against Cypriot Omonia FC and Moldovan FC Sheriff, the former Ajax manager could test different youngsters to see which ones deserve to remain in the group, while the rest are likely to be sent on loan.
Squad: Goalkeepers: De Gea, Heaton, DubravkaDefenders: Dalot, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Maguire, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Malaysia, ShawMidfielders: Casemiro, McTominay, Fred, Eriksen, Van de Beek, FernandesForwards: Pellistri, Antony, Rashford , Sancho, Marcial, Ronaldo, Grenache.
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