Manchester United hope to take the momentum from their derby day win into Thursday night’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Ruben Amorim made a huge call before the derby to drop both Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford. It proved to be a big topic of conversation and led to further uncertainty over Rashford’s future at United.
With a place in the Carabao Cup semi-final up for grabs, Garnacho and Rashford will be hoping to return to the line-up to face Tottenham. Amorim has called on his players to raise standards or else they won’t be selected on match day.
Tottenham go into the game with lots of injury concerns, but Amorim has a chance to rotate his squad ahead of a crucial Premier League encounter against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Without further ado, United in Focus looks at three players who should feature in Amorim’s line-up on Thursday night.
Leny Yoro to stake a claim
United have improved defensively with a more organised approach under Amorim. The biggest issue facing our defence is set-pieces, which can be coached into the players over time.
Leny Yoro is trying to break into that defence after a long time out with injury. Amorim is expected to manage his minutes as he adjusts his game to suit the English game.
There is a massive challenge in waiting because Yoro must climb up the United pecking order. The back three against City – Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez – all performed well, leaving a good impression on United’s head coach.
Ultimately, Yoro needs minutes to prove himself and challenge himself against Premier League strikers. That is why the French teenager should start against Tottenham.
Time for Kobbie Mainoo to get a run of games
Kobbie Mainoo is another player trying to reach match sharpness after a considerable spell in the treatment room.
Fans have had to wait for the Manchester United academy graduate to form a partnership with Manuel Ugarte, and many will hope to see a formidable duo form over the coming months.
Mainoo replaced an injured Mason Mount in the first half against City and is likely to start against Spurs.
Joshua Zirkzee needs to prove himself
There are lots of questions regarding Joshua Zirkzee and whether he is of the required standard.
It’s still early days and Zirkzee has at least shown glimpses of what he can do on the pitch.
The Netherlands international came off the bench against City and held the ball up well, as seen when he went on a wonderful run during stoppage time to take the ball away from United’s goal.
Zirkzee needs to add goal-scoring contributions to his game and he’s already found the back of the net under Amorim.
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