Midfielder Donny van de Beek could get another start as Fred is a doubt for Sunday’s Chelsea vs Manchester United game.
Fred played the full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win against Villarreal in midweek but Michael Carrick has revealed that the midfielder had twisted his ankle in that match.
Along with Fred, Luke Shaw is another doubt for Sunday’s game after he had picked up a head injury last weekend and did not make the trip to Spain.
“We’ve got two or three different little issues where we’re waiting,” Carrick said at the pre-match press conference. “It’s never ideal. You want a full squad to pick from.
“There is one or two that we’re kind of waiting on. Luke took a bang on the head, we’re assessing him and we’ll make a call on how he is. Fred twisted his ankle. He managed to carry on and see the game out, which is pretty incredible. He played a big part in us winning.
“We’ll have to see how that works out. We’ll be strong and look forward to the game.”
Will Luke Shaw be fit enough to play?
Luke Shaw has been really poor this season so even if he is absent, we don’t think Carrick will be too worried.
Alex Telles put in a decent enough shift in midweek so if Shaw is not deemed fit then Telles will occupy the left-back role.
Will Donny van de Beek play in midfield?
Fred’s injury is a real cause of concern though since the midfielder had a great game whereas Donny van de Beek had a muted 66 minutes on the pitch vs Villarreal.
Donny van de Beek scored the final goal of the Ole Gunnar Solskjær era as Manchester United manager 👀
Some things are just meant to be… 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/8gwsqQkifQ
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 20, 2021
The kind of form that Chelsea are in right now, Carrick would have been tempted to use Fred and McTominay in central midfield(for extra defensive cover) on Sunday but if Fred is not fully fit then Donny van de Beek could be handed another start.
Fotmob gave the Dutch international a rating of just 6.1 out of 10 for the UCL game on Tuesday so ideally, he should be moving back to the bench. Now there’s a chance he could be getting another start to prove himself.
Van de Beek has played very little football this season but now with Ole gone, the midfielder should be getting more chances. But if Fred is available for selection then we don’t think Carrick will want to use Donny van de Beek in the middle of the pitch especially with players like Mount and Hudson-Odoi roaming around him.
