Manchester United Team Announced For Saints Clash
For the fifth Premier League game in a row, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was able to name the same XI for the latest challenge – Southampton’s visit to Old Trafford.It’s an unprecedented luxury during Solskjaer’s reign as manager to be able to stick with the same team for such a long sequence.
Consistency of selection has been reflected in United’s sensational performances over the last four league games since this XI was first named on the teamsheet for the game against Sheffield United last month.
The same team have since registered a further three wins against Brighton at the Amex, Bournemouth at Old Trafford and Aston Villa at Villa Park last Thursday, notching 14 goals in the process.
The Reds can move into third place with victory against another of the Premier League’s most in-form sides since the resumption.
Chelsea and Leicester City’s defeats over the weekend have opened the door for United to jump two spots, into an automatic Champions League place, with Manchester City now guaranteed one of the slots in the competition next term, after their two-year ban was overturned this morning.
David De Gea has been fundamental to a real meanness at the back and tonight is the 400th time he has been named in a United starting line-up since he moved from Atletico Madrid in 2011 as the retiring Edwin van Der Sar’s successor.
The Spaniard is now second in the club’s all-time appearance list for goalkeepers with only 1968 European Cup-winner Alex Stepney ahead of him on 539 outings.“I’m happy with the XI,”
Ole told MUTV. “Happy with the staff outside as well. Of course, they’re working hard to make sure everyone’s recovered.
”We’ve known all the way that, if we do our job, we’ll finish in the top four. We just keep trying to do our job.“
United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire (c), Shaw; Matic, Pogba; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
Subs: Romero, Bailly, Williams, Andreas, Fred, James, Mata, McTominay, Ighalo.
Southampton: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Redmond, Ings, Adams.Subs: Gunn, Vestergaard, Danso, Ferry, Vokins, Hojbjerg, Smallbone, Long, Obafemi.
