Ruben Amorim is looking to build on Thursday’s victory against Rangers when his Manchester United side take to the field against Fulham on Sunday evening.
That midweek Europa League triumph offered a glimmer of hope that this squad can operate at a high level regardless of the opposition.
It was a badly needed shot of adrenaline for the Old Trafford faithful, with their side returning a solitary win from six Premier League outings.
But Marco Silva is no slouch, and his Fulham team can mix it with the best on any given day. One need only look to February last year when Alex Iwobi struck late to seal a 2-1 in Manchester.
Momentum is everything for a football club, and while the memory of the latest Brighton defeat remains, the travelling Reds will hope their side can turn a corner in a historically favourable setting.
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Defensive availability remains the hot topic in the North West.
Noussair Mazraoui sat out the European fixture following his withdrawal against Brighton, while Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro exited before the hour mark against Rangers.
“I don’t know,” Amorim stated when asked about the trio during his press conference.
“Leny has a pain, and Mata [Matthijs] was a bruise from a touch. Leny was a little bit tired – he is playing more in this moment, so we have to be really careful, and we will see. I don’t know.”
Victor Lindelof has returned to first-team training and is in contention for minutes, but Luke Shaw is not quite ready for an anticipated return.
“He is going to be fit to train with the team,” the Portuguese chief said of Shaw. “Then we have to start with more minutes, we do not have a lot of time to train.
“We have to put some exercises in 10 minutes, and then he has to make extra work to improve his fitness. I don’t know [when he will play], it is two weeks to start training before I think about putting him in for some minutes.”
Mason Mount and Jonny Evans remain sidelined, although both are undergoing extensive rehabilitation ahead of a potential February return.
The most curious decision remains on who will line out between the sticks. Although sections of the media probed for a hint of the manager’s plans, he was in no form to share.
“We have two really good goalkeepers, and they need time to play, the space in the team,” he said with a smile.
Craven Cottage has been a happy hunting ground for the Reds, who are unbeaten in eight consecutive fixtures with seven straight wins.
Furthermore, Fulham won just once in their last 18 meetings with Manchester United, although that did come at Old Trafford last season.
Interestingly, since losing 1-0 to a Joshua Zirkzee goal in the season opener, the Cottagers have failed to score just once in their 21 Premier League outings since (a nil-all draw with Southampton).
Expect goals in London, folks.
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