Sheffield United will look to continue their impressive start to the Premier League season on Sunday afternoon as the Blades host Manchester United at Bramall Lane in a contest that is now rich in narrative.
International breaks are usually quite a slog to get through, but this most recent one was sparked into life when Tottenham Hotspur announced that they had fired head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
This sent many Man United fans into a frenzy, as the man they want to lead the Red Devils going forward was now suddenly available. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won’t be fired just because a better option is possible, but the news puts an immense amount of pressure on the Norwegian, who knows someone is now waiting in the wings.
Solskjaer has a tough test in front of him as Sheffield United have been one of the most surprising teams in all of world football this season. Getting promoted from the Championship at the end of last year, pundits expected them to go straight back down. They’ve proven their doubters wrong, however, and at the start of Matchweek 12, sat in fifth place in the Premier League, one point above the Red Devils.
With the hectic winter months coming up ahead, both teams will look to pick up three crucial points.
Last time out
It’s been almost four years since these two sides last faced off against one another. Coming at the very start of 2016 in the third round of the FA Cup, the two teams were much farther apart in the English league ladder than they are at the moment.
The Red Devils were struggling under then manager Louis Van Gaal, but they were still competing for a top-four spot in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Blades were stuck in the middle of League 1, far from the spotlight of first division football.
However, there was little to separate the teams on the field that night, even though the game was taking place at Old Trafford. Typically under van Gaal, United failed to create much going forward. Sheffield United didn’t mind, as they were able to sit back and absorb pressure with relative ease.
Just when everyone thought things were set to end 0-0, a rare moment of magic from Memphis Depay led to the Dutchman drawing a penalty in the 90th minute. He danced into the area before getting taken out, leaving the referee with no other choice than to point to the spot. Wayne Rooney stepped up to convert the resulting spot-kick, and the Red Devils booked their spot into the fourth round as a result.
It would prove to be an incredibly important result, as United went to win the FA Cup that season, beating Crystal Palace in the final at Wembley Stadium.
Team news
Sheffield United have been dealt a major blow going into this contest, as they’ll be without starting goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who is on loan from the Red Devils and cannot play against his parent club.
They’ll potentially have more issues at the back, as defender John Egan might not be able to recover from a calf injury he picked up with Ireland last week.
A number of Manchester United players were able to return to training during the international break, and some might even be fit in time for Sunday.
The likes of Axel Tuanzebe, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Eric Bailly, and Nemanja Matic all have a chance of featuring versus the Blades, but all decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Two players who will definitely miss out are Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay. The former likely won’t see the field until the start of the new year, while the latter still needs a month to recover from his injury. Marcos Rojo has picked up another knock as well, and he’ll also be unavailable for selection.
Predicted lineups
Sheffield United: Moore, Basham, Jagielka, O’Connell, Baldock, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens, McGoldrick, Mousset
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Young, Fred, Andreas, James, Lingard, Rashford, Martial
What to watch out for
Manchester’s middle of the park
The centre of midfield was already a mess for Manchester United. They lost both Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini in the summer, and failed to replace either of them. Then, Paul Pogba got injured to start the season, and he still hasn’t been seen on the field since.
Things somehow got worse last time out, however, as Scott McTominay picked up an injury, and now he will be out for the foreseeable future. He had been excellent in recent weeks for the Red Devils, but now Solskjaer has to figure out how to replace him in the team.
Fred and Andreas Pereira have played a lot as of late, but neither has managed to show any real consistency ever since joining the club. You never know what to expect out of either of them on a weekly basis, so putting them in the lineup is always a risk.
Matic might be able to come into the side as he’s just recovered from an injury, but he has been poor so far this campaign and is even thought to be trying to force a move out of Old Trafford. The Serbian has become the very definition of a last resort.
Jesse Lingard could come in to play as an attacking midfielder, bringing energy and work-rate to the team. He wouldn’t necessarily bring much in the final third, though, as he’s still yet to score or assist in Premier League play in the calendar year of 2019.
There’s some potential youth options like James Garner, but Solskjaer has been hesitant to turn to the kids in the past.
Whatever he does, Solskjaer must get it right on the afternoon, as there’s now a Pochettino-sized shadow hanging over him.