Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has an easy midfield decision to make against Leeds United on Wednesday night following Casemiro’s sending-off on Saturday.
Casemiro was given his marching orders against Crystal Palace last weekend after momentarily grabbing Will Hughes by the neck. It was a harsh decision but the Brazilian is now expected to miss the next three Premier League games, barring a successful appeal.
This leaves Ten Hag with an easy decision to make against Leeds, in our opinion. Christian Eriksen has already been ruled out for three months with an ankle injury while Donny van de Beek won’t play any part for the rest of the campaign following a knee surgery.
Scott McTominay has been on the winning side whenever he has played against Leeds but the midfielder is also set to be ruled out with a muscular injury. Speaking on transfer deadline day, Ten Hag said that the Scot could be out for two weeks or even more.
Hence, it is quite obvious that Fred and new signing Marcel Sabitzer are the remaining central midfield choices for the manager. Fred will most certainly take up the number six role against Leeds and will be aiming to continue his recent good run of form.
Casemiro’s compatriot was exceptional with his work rate against Palace last weekend. With United a man down, Fred was terrific with his high pressing and played a huge part in keeping the Eagles rooted to their own half for a vast part of stoppage time.
Sabitzer also did a good job in his short cameo appearance off the bench. The Austrian is now expected to make his full league debut for United. He should fit in perfectly in the number eight role with his creativity as well as strong defensive attributes.
The 28-year-old likes to win regular duels and make crunch tackles. Having played for the likes of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, he should not have any trouble in adapting to high intensity football and will be keen to impress the manager on Wednesday.
The duo could well continue in midfield for the return game against Leeds at the weekend, barring McTominay making a surprise recovery. The club have the perfect opportunity to secure six points against their old rivals, who are fighting relegation.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
