The Man Utd lineup that should start against Villarreal in the Europa League final
Manchester United have the chance to finish the 2020/21 season with a trophy when they face Villarreal in the Europa League final in Gdansk, Poland.
It is the first final the club has reached under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and winning would be yet another indicator of progress after an improved Premier League finish.
But Solskjaer has selection dilemmas to solve before the game. Influential captain Harry Maguire has travelled with the squad but is a major doubt, while the boss needs to find a way to include all of his best attacking players without unbalancing the team as a whole.
Here’s a look at the starting XI Solskjaer could pick...
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
David de Gea (GK) - The Spaniard has been the Europa League goalkeeper since the quarter-final stage when he lost his Premier League place to Dean Henderson. If there’s even a chance he will leave United this summer he deserves this final as a potential farewell.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) - There are no doubts about his world class one-on-one defending, but he really needs to work on his penalty area awareness and man marking skills, deficiencies which have proven costly to United on more than one occasion this season.
Victor Lindelof (CB) - With Maguire almost certainly ruled out through injury, the Swede suddenly has huge pressure to step up and lead the back four as the senior defender. He has had an up and down season and this could be a defining game for him.
Axel Tuanzebe (CB) - A recent flurry of appearances could see United’s home-grown centre-back get the nod over Eric Bailly. He hasn’t played all that much this season, although a top class performance against Kylian Mbappe in October should give him confidence.
Luke Shaw (LB) - A top season won’t be undone by a fairly woeful performance against Liverpool earlier this month and he could prove to be one of United’s most important players in this final at both ends of the pitch.
2. Midfielders
Scott McTominay (CM) - Has shaken off a knock suffered in the final home game of the season against Fulham and is expected to be fully fit. The Scotland international has stepped up in big games in the past so now is his time to shine again.
Fred (CM) - The Brazilian is another who was nursing a minor knock after the Fulham game but has since overcome that problem. His form hasn’t been great in recent weeks, although he had been a solid performer prior to that.
Bruno Fernandes (AM) - Words don’t do justice to the impact United’s new talisman has had on the club since his January 2020 arrival. His return of 40 goals in 79 appearances is incredible and he could well captain the side in Maguire’s absence.
3. Forwards
Marcus Rashford (RW) - Solskjaer’s big selection dilemma is how to get all his attacking stars into the team without disrupting the overall balance. Mason Greenwood could end up being the one that gets sacrificed to make room for others.
Edinson Cavani (ST) - The veteran striker has come into his own in the last few months, with five goals and three assists in his last three Europa League appearances alone. His recent strike against Fulham was also a contender for goal of the season.
Paul Pogba (LW) - Shifting Rashford to the right, where he is much less effective, makes room on the left. The ideal would be to have Pogba operate in a more conventional midfield role, but United don’t have the assets to allow it just yet.
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