Manchester United have selected one the youngest squads in recent memory for the Astana fixture.
14 young players have made the trip to Kazakhstan, while Jesse Lingard and Axel Tuanzebe are also academy graduates.
With qualification already secured, this is a great chance for United to see what they have and test some of the young players who have impressed for the under-23 side over the past year.
Full squad: Lee Grant, Matej Kovar, Max Taylor, Luke Shaw, Axel Tuanzebe, Dylan Levitt, Teden Mengi, DiShon Bernard, Largie Ramazani, Ethan Laird, Ethan Galbraith, Arnau Puigmal, D’Mani Bughail-Mellor, James Garner, Jesse Lingard, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes, Mason Greenwood.
How will United line up?
While United have a few interesting decisions to make, a handful of players appear almost certain to start.
Mason Greenwood should lead the line up front, James Garner should feature in midfield, and Axel Tuanzebe in central defence. That’s a talented and youthful spine of the side.
Luke Shaw needs games and will start at left-back, while Ethan Laird will finally get his chance on the right.
It is most probable United go with a 4-2-3-1 formation, although having several defensive options could lend itself to three at the back.
Further forward, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong have been desperate for opportunities and are the most senior of United’s young players. They should both be in.
Solskjaer gave a few further hints in his pre-match press conference.
Big decisions
There are four big decisions facing United’s team selection against Astana.
- Who starts in goal? It looks like Lee Grant, 36, will get his first opportunity in over a year. This comes at the expense of a potential debut for Matej Kovar. We would much rather see Kovar, 19, get the nod. He has been impressive against senior sides in the EFL Trophy.
- Lingard in or out? Is Jesse Lingard there in case it goes wrong and he needs to steady the ship, or is this game designed to get him game time? United would be better off using this match to give exciting attacker Largie Ramazani his debut. He has been United’s most improved player at under-23 level this season, scoring nine goals so far. Hopefully he will get time off the bench.
- Who partners Garner? Solskjaer has indicated this will be Garner’s most regular under-23 teammate Dylan Levitt, already a Wales international. This will help both players. United do have alternatives though, with Ethan Galbraith and Arnau Puigmal also contenders for the spot.
- Who plays alongside Tuanzebe? United have three players contending for the centre-back spot alongside Axel Tuanzebe. These are Dishon Bernard, 18, Max Taylor, 19, and Teden Mengi, 17. All three have compelling cases, it is tough to choose between them. Possibly going three at the back could make Solskjaer’s decision a little easier, but it sounds like it will be a duo of Tuanzebe and Bernard.
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