(4-2-3-1): Mainoo, Yoro and Mount returns- Man United’s predicted lineups against Leicester City as Ruud van Nistelrooy received tactics from Ruben Amorim
For the fourth and final time as Manchester United interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy takes to the Old Trafford touchline on Sunday afternoon, when the Red Devils host Leicester City in the Premier League.
The Dutchman oversaw a 2-0 Europa League success over PAOK in the week, while the Foxes left it incredibly late to steal a point from a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town.
Match preview
Under the watchful eye of Ruben Amorim, who will settle into his Carrington office during the international break, Man United initially struggled to pick PAOK’s lock on Thursday evening, before a dash of Amad Diallo inspiration sunk the Greek giants.
After a goalless first 45 minutes at Old Trafford, the Ivorian attacker’s looping header found the far side of the net, before he cut inside on his left foot and found the far corner in a manner that Arjen Robben and Mohamed Salah would have been proud of.
Diallo’s double not only extended Van Nistelrooy’s unbeaten run as interim boss to three matches, but also propelled Man United to their first Europa League success of the season at the fourth attempt, but Premier League matters now take precedence for the Red Devils once more.
A spectacular Moises Caicedo volley forced Man United to accept just the one point against Chelsea in last weekend’s 1-1 draw, leaving the bottom-half strugglers languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table, albeit mathematically closer to the top four than the relegation zone at the time of writing.
A measly record of just one win from six Premier League games indicates that Amorim will not be able to reverse Man United’s fortunes overnight, especially as the Red Devils have only produced a paltry nine top-flight goals so far this season too, their lowest total since 1973-74.
When Leicester attacker Jordan Ayew saw his goal-bound strike blocked by Ipswich’s Cameron Burgess at Portman Road, it appeared that it was not going to be the Foxes’ day against the Tractor Boys, who were leading deep into added time thanks to Leif Davis’s lovely strike.
However, Ayew dramatically made it second time lucky against Kieran McKenna’s winless side, linking up with Jamie Vardy before coolly slotting home into the bottom corner to salvage a slice of the spoils for Steve Cooper’s troops, ending their two-game losing run in all tournaments.
As fellow newly-promoted teams Ipswich and Southampton sit below the dreaded dotted line, Leicester have cemented themselves in a partially comfortable 15th place in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone and just two points worse off than Sunday’s hosts Man United.
The Foxes will therefore leap above the Red Devils in the rankings with a shock success at Old Trafford, where goals should be guaranteed on both ends, as Leicester have scored and conceded in all five of their Premier League away games in the 2024-25 season.
The same was true in Man United and Leicester’s EFL Cup clash at Old Trafford on October 30, but five of those seven strikes went to the Red Devils in Van Nistelrooy’s debut match, and not since January 1998 have the hosts failed to make the net bulge against the Foxes in a Premier League contest.
Diallo’s brace in Man United’s beating of PAOK came at a slight cost, as the former Atalanta BC attacker suffered a knock late on and has now emerged as a slight doubt for the visit of Leicester, which he may have been optimistic about starting.
Diallo is joined in the medical bay by Luke Shaw (calf), Harry Maguire (calf), Kobbie Mainoo (thigh), Tyrell Malacia (knee) and Leny Yoro (foot); the latter is now back in training but will be given ample time to reach full fitness again.
Marcus Rashford should be the beneficiary of Diallo’s knock, while Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt ought to return to the heart of the backline at Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof’s expense before Amorim implements his 3-4-3 system.
In contrast, Leicester came out of their stalemate with Ipswich unblemished on the physical front, and there is a slim chance that long-term ankle victim Patson Daka could make his comeback in Sunday’s game, as well as Bobby Decordova-Reid following his “nasty wound” in the EFL Cup loss.
Hamza Choudhury is in the same boat, as the Foxes decided against going down the surgical route to treat the midfielder’s shoulder problem, so Jakub Stolarczyk (ankle) might be the only absentee for the visitors this weekend.
Whether Ayew’s last-gasp intervention at Portman Road is enough for a return to the first XI remains to be seen – Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi are stiff competition – but Vardy will no doubt feature up front as he aims to build on a tally of six goals from 18 previous games against Man United.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Martinez, Mazraoui; Casemiro, Ugarte; Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Soumare, Winks; Fatawu, Buonanotte, Ayew; Vardy
