How NUFC could line up
Three changes on the cards today – and here are some changes Howe could make.
Martin Dubravka has not done much wrong, but questions will always be asked when any side concedes 11 goals in their last four Premier League games . . . and the first-choice keeper is on the bench.
It will be a tough call, but Pope is No 1 in all but shirt number, and now could be the time to restore him to the side with Wembley on the horizon and United looking for a reset. Similarly, Kieran Trippier had earned the right to keep his place after replacing Tino Livramento for the second leg of the Caraba Cup tie with Arsenal, but Howe must assess who is his first choice.
Livramento has held the shirt for most of the season and, while Trippier’s qualities can’t be overlooked, if the 22-year-old was the right man for the majority of the season then why should that change now? The former Southampton and Chelsea man could well start today.
And so to midfield, where United still have a Joelinton-shaped hole. He absence has been keenly felt, but while Joe Willock was excellent against Birmingham City in the FA Cup, he couldn’t replicate that form against Man City. Lewis Miley replaced him at the break, and although the game had gone, the youngster showed the desire in the middle of the park which could earn him a start today.
Of course Sean Longstaff is ready and waiting for his chance. The Geordie midfielder has been in and out of the side this season, but would be a reliable pair of hands if Howe decided to give him another go. Miley is the future, however, and could edge it.
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