An agonising 11-day break followed Michael Carrick’s first defeat as Manchester United head coach, setting the tone for a highly anticipated return to Premier League affairs.
The 44-year-old’s latest test comes in the shape of an out-of-sorts Aston Villa, who are fresh off the back of a 1-0 Europa League victory in France.
Disregarding what some would have you believe, things are far from bad for Carrick and his team. The Reds occupy third place in the table, and a win on Sunday would create breathing space over Unai Emery’s men.
Additionally, despite a disappointing trip to St James’ Park, no team has enjoyed a finer run of results throughout their previous 10, with United earning 21 points during an impressive period.
Villa have lost consecutive league fixtures and are without a win in three, last collecting maximum points at home to Brighton over a month ago.
Still, few will be writing off any Emery team, and with players like Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins on hand, Old Trafford will need to be firing on all cylinders from the opening whistle.
Manchester United Team News
Having had ample time to rest and repair, Mason Mount has resumed group training and appears to be in contention to return this weekend.
The 27-year-old hasn’t featured since a cameo during the Manchester derby win in January, but our number seven is united with the group at Carrington and has looked sharp during preparations.
“Mason’s back with the group, which is fantastic,” Carrick told the media on Friday afternoon.
“He’s an important player for us, Mason, and to have him back and involved is a good step for us, definitely.
“He’s not, you know, 100 per cent in terms of [being] back because he’s only trained a very small amount of time, but he’s back, and that’s good for us.
“So, we’ll see if he’s involved or not on Sunday, but yeah, it’s a big step for him, but we’re happy with that. Yeah, that’s it in terms of players coming back for now.”
Although there were concerns about Noussair Mazraoui’s fitness after collecting a knock in Newcastle, the 28-year-old enjoyed training this week, providing further options for his coach.
Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, and Patrick Dorgu are not yet ready to return to first-team action.
We know that form often counts for little in the Premier League, but Villa have struggled on their travels up north in recent years, losing the previous five meetings at Old Trafford.
You must rewind to the days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the last United setback, a 1-0 victory for Dean Smith’s side in September 2001. Kortney Hause was the 88th-minute hero on the day.
Champions League football remains the primary goal for Carrick and his men, not only for the allure of lining out against the best in Europe, but for the financial windfall that comes with participation.
A further three points on Sunday would strengthen red claims with only eight fixtures remaining, ahead of an extremely important summer window.
Anthony Taylor will officiate proceedings on the day, with action set to get underway at 14:00 GMT.
Predicted Manchester United starting XI: (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Yoro, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Bruno, Cunha; Sesko.
Will Manchester United return to winning ways against a tricky Aston Villa side? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our socials.
Photo by operations@newsimages.co.uk via depositphotos.com.
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