Manchester United announce 23-man travelling squad for Champions League clash v FC Copenhagen, Kobbie Mainoo misses out

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Manchester United have announced their travelling squad for their crucial clash against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.

A win, by any means necessary, is crucial for the Red Devils and they could jump into the top two places in the group if they can pick up a victory in Denmark.

Erik ten Hag is firmly under pressure to get Manchester United out of the group which was certainly a challenging but very doable task, if the Red Devils fail to win in Denmark though it will be a tough ask to get out of the group.

With Galatasaray travelling to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich, this is a chance for the Red Devils to overtake the Turkish side in the race for second place.

United’s squad announced

The squad for the game in Denmark has been announced and here are the list of the players who have made the list for the massive encounter:

Goalkeepers: Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton.

Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Sergio Reguilon, Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Hannibal, Scott McTominay, Mason Mount.

Forwards: Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Omari Forson, Rasmus Hojlund, Anthony Martial, Facundo Pellistri, Marcus Rashford.

Mainoo’s absence explained

Another exciting youngster, who may well feel he deserves a chance in the first team, is Kobbie Mainoo. The teenage midfielder is back from injury and started last week for the under-21s against Salford City in the EFL Trophy.

The midfielder, however, will not feature against the Danish side in Copenhagen as he has not been selected for the travelling squad.

There may well be a few concerns from the United fanbase about a recurrence of an injury but according to Rich Fay, of the Manchester Evening News, he will play for the club’s under 19’s side like he did a fortnight ago.

According to the report, Mainoo trained with the under-19s and is likely to feature in the UEFA Youth League against the Danish side as the club tries to ease him back to full fitness and build up his minutes.

Pellistri could be given chance

Facundo Pellistri looked sharp when he came on against Fulham and it was his determination to win the ball back that eventually led to Bruno Fernandes’ brilliant winner.

With Antony continuing to struggle, a start for the Uruguayan is surely not too unrealistic and the 21-year-old certainly deserves a chance to nail down a spot in the team.

From that right-hand side, the winger could provide the pace an guile that they have been looking for, which has been so absent when Antony has featured.