Manchester United return to Europa League action with the pressure off.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men secured Champions League qualification – and a third-place finish – with a 2-0 win against Leicester City.
As a consequence, United can enjoy their remaining Europa League games and, hopefully, seal some silverware without the competition being do-or-die.
While there are a few obstacles to overcome to win the trophy, the upcoming second leg against LASK should be a relative stroll.
United are 5-0 up and are likely to make wholesale changes, resting some of their stars for the tougher games to come.
Some of the club’s youngsters should get the chance to impress. But the match may also be the last chance to see some more familiar faces in a United shirt.
With Solskjaer likely to go strong from the quarter-final onward in an attempt to add gloss to a promising campaign, here are three players who could well be on borrowed time.
Jesse Lingard
He may have scored the final goal of United’s Premier League campaign, but Jesse Lingard is way down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
He should get a chance from the start against LASK. He may even score a goal or two. But, unfortunately for the 27-year-old, he is surely heading out this summer.
At his best, Lingard is a quality player. But United fans have rarely seen that.
In the last 17 league games, Lingard has managed just 64 minutes of action. For nine of those games, the England international didn’t even make the match-day squad.
The writing is surely on the wall for a player who will be remembered at United for some big goals but too many inconsistent performances.
Andreas Pereira
Another player who divides opinion at United, Andreas Pereira has suffered from the arrival of Bruno Fernandes.
It shows how far they have come that United were once overly reliant on a one-time Brazil international who is nowhere near the quality of our Portuguese magician.
Pereira has played 39 times for United this season, scoring two goals and providing four assists in the process. However, he hasn’t started a league game since February and has been in and out of the match-day squad.
A dead rubber against LASK could well be his final action before his farewell.
Diogo Dalot
When United signed Diogo Dalot for £19million (BBC) it was hailed by some as a masterstroke.
The youngster was tipped by Jose Mourinho to be United’s right-back for the next decade. However, that was before Aaron Wan-Bissaka arrived and made the position his own.
With Timothy Fosu-Mensah now ahead of Dalot in the pecking order, even when Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams were unavailable, the Portuguese’s time could well be up.
A last match against LASK is possible, with United’s regular full-backs rested for the bigger challenges to come.
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