Amid the managerial hunt at Manchester United, there is still football to be played.
With Erik ten Hag being sacked by Manchester United on Monday, there has been little if any attention placed on the Carabao Cup kicking off.
Manchester United will face off against Leicester City at Old Trafford in the fourth round – with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
The man in the dugout to face the Foxes will be Ruud van Nistelrooy after he was appointed interim manager on Monday.
Van Nistelrooy is a United legend, with this Carabao Cup game being potentially his one chance to manage the Red Devils.
This depends on when United can officially appoint Ruben Amorim, as the Sporting Lisbon manager is expected to take charge later this week – although there could yet be delays.
How Manchester United could line-up vs Leicester
Amid all the managerial talk, Van Nistelrooy will have taken training on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday night.
We will likely see some changes from Ten Hag’s team – with one change being a formation change to match the 4-3-3 which Van Nistelrooy often favoured at PSV.
So with that in mind, here is how we predict Van Nistelrooy will line-up his team to face Leicester City.
Altay Bayindir
In goal, there is usually no debate about Andre Onana and that remains the case here, with Van Nistelrooy likely to be intent on making a statement and winning – although he may want to give Altay Bayindir some deserved minutes.
Diogo Dalot
At right-back, Diogo Dalot should start following Noussair Mazraoui’s injury blow against West Ham. This gives Dalot a chance to impress Amorim who will surely be watching with intrigue.
Victor Lindelof
Matthijs de Ligt will be enraged with the penalty call against him on Sunday, but he won’t get to make up for it here as we think he will be rested for Victor Lindelof.
Lisandro Martinez
Partnering Lindelof we expect will be Lisandro Martinez as options in central defence are currently limited.
- READ MORE: Who is Lisandro Martinez? Step inside the life of Manchester United’s tenacious Argentine
Harry Amass
The first big shock we are predicting is a debut for Harry Amass – with left back needing a left-footed player. Despite concerns over his physicality, Amass deserves the chance, especially with Mazraoui possibly out. This would also see Ruud make his mark giving out an academy debut in game one.
Manuel Ugarte
Moving into the midfield, we fully expect that Manuel Ugarte will start at the base of the midfield – a very different role to under Ten Hag as Van Nistelrooy makes his mark. Ugarte is likely to be a benefactor from Amorim’s arrival.
Christian Eriksen
Continuing in midfield, there are limited options with Kobbie Mainoo, Dan Gore and Toby Collyer out, this should mean Christian Eriksen starts once again.
Bruno Fernandes
Also in midfield, Bruno Fernandes will likely start again as he looks to lead United into the new era – and show Amorim he should be a key player.
Amad Diallo
We all saw the clips of Amad Diallo’s frustrations against Porto, with Van Nistelrooy even consoling him at one point – so we imagine he will start on the right against Leicester.
Joshua Zirkzee
Up front, it would not be a surprise to see Van Nistelrooy use the youth at some stage but to start with Joshua Zirkzee should be starting as he has two assists in two games.
Marcus Rashford
On the left, we see Marcus Rashford starting ahead of Alejandro Garnacho – with Van Nistelrooy a clear fan of the United No.10, who will be keen to get back among the goals and endear himself to Amorim early.
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