Manchester United should be kicking off at home to LASK this evening.
It would have been a dead rubber of a match, with United 5-0 up from the away leg. This also would have meant real opportunity for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to rotate the team.
Players on the fringes who have not had enough chances could have come in, young players, and those on the comeback from injury.
We have taken a look at the experimental XI United could have picked for this fixture.
While not strong enough to probably put up another 5-0 win against the Austrians, this team is good enough not to lose 6-0 at Old Trafford and ensure we reached the quarter-finals without a hitch.
Sergio Romero in goal has not conceded at home at all in the Europa League this season, while Eric Bailly is yet to conceded in five matches since his return.
This would have been a chance for Axel Tuanzebe to get some game time in too.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah could also have made his first start of the season in his own comeback from a serious injury.
In midfield we could have seen a long overdue first start of 2020 for young stars Angel Gomes and James Garner. Tahith Chong would have got the chance to build on his recent progress and Mason Greenwood is due a start up front.
Paul Pogba could have been given an opportunity too amid his own comeback from injury, and throw in Juan Mata to balance a bit more experience too.
Circumstances won’t be the same
It’s unclear if the home tie with LASK will ever be played. Even if the season does resume, the one-sided away leg makes this relatively pointless from a competitive standpoint.
UEFA could decide simply not to bother with and scrap it from a reduced calendar as they look to cram a schedule together.
If the game is played, United won’t pick a team as experimental as above, it will be a stronger side.
The match will be useful for United’s senior stars to get their match sharpness up after some time off.
This would be bad news for LASK’s defenders, but United could use the tie to try and pick up the momentum where we left off.
- Thierry Henry points out Bruno Fernandes’ reaction to key Cristiano Ronaldo moment, ‘did you see…’
- 97 per cent passing, nine recoveries… Man Utd target has just proved why Ineos need to bid for him
- Man Utd address player welfare issue with much-needed adjustment to Old Trafford
- National press rate Marcus Rashford’s goal-scoring display for England, ‘elite’ quality praised
- How people inside Man Utd are now feeling about the transfer window
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
