Man United were knocked out of the FA Cup on Friday as they failed to beat Championship side Middlesbrough. Despite having numerous chances, United failed to put the game to bed and in the end, Boro managed to nick the 4th Round game on penalties.
With this abrupt exit, the chance of winning a major silverware this season might have once again evaded Man United but they will have to quickly get up and dust themselves since they now return to the Premier League.
Manchester United are currently fourth on the league table but that position is far from secure. They will need to beat Burnley in their next outing to make sure they do not slip out of the top four.
United have won three out of their previous five league outings but their performances have not been consistent at all. Before the break, they put up a solid display against West Ham United but on Friday, they were even struggling to put the ball into the back of an empty net.
Ralf Rangnick chose to rest several players on Friday but all of them will return to the matchday squad on Tuesday night. United have a pretty good record against Burnley and given that the home side are sitting at the bottom of the table, we expect this one to be an easy win for the Red Devils.
Man United team news vs Burnley:
Against Middlesbrough, Rangnick opted to use only one defensive midfielder since Paul Pogba was coming back into the side and we have a feeling the manager will use the same tactics against Burnley as well.
Paul Pogba put in a fine shift on Friday and he’s more than certain to retain his spot in the side as Scott McTominay plays in the holding role.
Telles was rested after returning late from international duty but he will come into the side this week, replacing Luke Shaw on the left-hand side of defence.
Bruno Fernandes picked up a knock vs Boro but the playmaker will be fine to start in the No 10 role.
Jadon Sancho pulled up with what looked to be a cramp but the manager had later confirmed that he was just tired meaning he too should hold onto his place from the FA Cup game.
Jadon Sancho’s goal against Middlesbrough 🔥
— UTD (@utdzonevid) February 4, 2022
“Jadon didn’t get a knock,” clarified Rangnick in a post-match interview with MUTV. “He was just feeling tired. Hopefully, for Tuesday, we will have all of those players available again.”
Edinson Cavani will return to Manchester this weekend so the South American will be touch and go for Tuesday’s game. He got an extended break to spend time with his family so unless is jet-lagged he should at least be named in the matchday squad.
Both Ronaldo and Rashford had really poor outings on Friday but with Mason Greenwood out of the picture, the duo are likely to get starts. Jesse Lingard was given some time off but the England international will be back in training on Monday.
Anthony Elanga missed the penalty which helped Middlesbrough pick up a win and it remains to be seen how the youngster reacts to this setback. Ideally, the Man United boss should be giving him a start ahead of Rashford but chances are that he could also start on the bench just so he can clear up his head a bit.
Man United predicted line up vs Burnley:
Predicted Starting Line up(4-3-3): De Gea; Varane, Maguire, Dalot, Telles; McTominay, Pogba, Bruno Fernandes; Rashford/Elanga, Sancho, Ronaldo.
