FA Cup 2018-19: How Manchester United should line up against Reading

Manchester United are flying high at the moment under the stewardship of their former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Players that a few weeks ago looked short of confidence are now mesmerizing their fans and playing with big smiles.

It can be said that the new manager has brought back the Manchester United way of playing to the club.

After 4 straight wins under Solskjaer, they are going to their next match [in the F.A cup] full of confidence.

The wins under the new manager have been convincing, except for their last game against Newcastle United. It was a tough game and they just managed to scrape three points.

The win was largely due to their subs [Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku], both of whom brought a sense of urgency to the team and contributed to both the goals. Sanchez assisted the second goal while Lukaku scored the first.

A look at the injury list shows that Manchester United are almost back to full capacity. The only injured players are Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo.

Solskjaer is expected to rotate his squad again, with some of the fringe players expected to get some game time under their belts. Some of the academy players may also get a run out.

Here’s how the team should line up against Reading.

Goalkeeper

With the manager expected to shuffle things a little, David De Gea may just have his day off for this fixture. He managed to keep a clean sheet [finally] under the new boss and may be rested for this game. His influence on the team, however, can’t be overstated.

With De Gea off, it will be Sergio Romero’s turn to shine. He has been largely the second choice keeper at Manchester United since he joined, and has been sparingly used for the cup matches. Against Reading, the Argentine number one will be hoping that his manager picks him so he too can get some game time.

This will be a straightforward swap as the Argentine is also a world-class goalkeeper with years of experience.

Defence

Antonio Valencia is finally back playing, and the timing couldn't have been better. The manager may want to get the skipper some more game time under his belt, so he’s likely to start.

The central defence, however, should be a concern for the Norwegian manager, especially after the dismissal of Eric Bailly against Bournemouth [which means he will also miss this fixture].

Now, that means Manchester United currently have only two senior central defenders [Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones] available.

Though the likes of Matteo Darmian can fill that position, it is likely that Solskjaer will continue with Jones and Lindelof as his centre-back pairing.

Like David De Gea, Luke Shaw, the current first choice left back, may also get some time off. That will mean either Ashley Young or Darmian may be selected to start this game as the left back. Both the players have great experience and wouldn't shy away if called upon.

Midfield

Ole Gunnar came to the club with a clear mind of how he was going to line up his midfield. He has shown through his first four team selections that he likes a midfield three.

In three out of his four games, he has opted for Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba as his midfield trio.

There’s a feeling that he may opt to rest all the three midfielders against Reading, or at least two of them. And with Pogba giving them an injury scare against Newcastle, he is the first midfield player that we should expect to not see lining against Reading.

The other player that Ole Gunnar may opt to rest is Matic. Matic has been particularly impressive since Solsjkaer took over and has started all four games under the Norwegian.

If at all the manager opts to rest those two players, then Ander Herrera will likely start in the quarterback role. The Spaniard now finally looks like a rejuvenated player, playing to his strengths under Ole Gunnar.

The two players that will likely flank him are Fred and Andreas Pereira. This will give both players some game time and also they may want to show the manager that they deserve to start.

Pereira has shown his potential already and just needs some game time to get into his rhythm. Fred, on the other hand, hasn’t really become the player that Manchester United thought they were getting when they signed him. But he could get a boost to his confidence with some game time.

Attack

Marcus Rashford is finally looking like the player that Manchester United fans wanted him to be.

Prior to his sacking Jose Mourinho had praised the young Englishman, and the new manager also did the same after the Newcastle game. But with the Norwegian manager saying that Lukaku will start this fixture, Rashford may also get a rest.

That courtesy will also be extended to Anthony Martial as the manager announced that Alexis Sanchez will also start.

That will leave one position free [the right side of the forward line]. There are a number of players that can play in that position including Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata. But Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer may well want to blood in an academy graduate for that position, and may opt for either Tahith Chong or Angel Gomes.

Both are fine players with huge potential, and would want stake a claim for the starting eleven if given chances.

Here is how the team may look against Reading:

Edited by Musab Abid