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Ralf Rangnick confirms two Man Utd starters vs West Ham United

Manchester United’s interim boss Ralf Rangnick has confirmed two starters for this afternoon’s Premier League clash against West Ham United at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils recently returned to winning ways with a 3-1 league triumph at Brentford. They are now within two points off fourth-placed West Ham United with one game in hand.

They can temporarily leapfrog the Hammers to the final Champions League spot with a win. It won’t be a straightforward contest, considering the London club have been giant killers this term.

Ahead of the game, Rangnick has confirmed that Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles will make the line-up with Aaron Wan-Bissaka (illness) and Luke Shaw (injury) ruled out.

He said via Manchester Evening News: “There are quite a few other full-backs in other clubs where it is the same. Quite a few of those full-backs formerly played at right or left-wingers.”

“Therefore so with developments I’ve had while I’m here with Diogo and Telles, I’m happy. They get more game-time now because Luke is injured and Aaron is still ill.”

United have struggled with their league form since their return from a coronavirus outbreak. They have picked up only eight points from the previous five games.

As such, they find themselves languishing in the seventh spot. Arsenal above them, have played one game less while fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur have two matches in hand.

While the London duo will face each other in one of the postponed games, United need to build a winning streak hereafter to capitalise on the slip-ups from their top-four rivals.

They had the better of the Hammers in the reverse meeting, but it was by the slimmest of margins (2-1 win). David de Gea saved their blushes at the end, denying Mark Noble from the penalty spot.

The Spaniard has been hugely pivotal to earning points for United in recent months. He could have another busy game between the sticks with the backline struggling to cut down scoring attempts.

Rangnick has not had a settled backline to work with. With Victor Lindelof out due to personal reasons, Harry Maguire will return to the starting line-up to partner Raphael Varane in central defence.

Dalot and Telles are starting for the third-game running, but they will need to switch on defensively against the Hammers. Telles could have a tricky challenge against an in-form Jarrod Bowen.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

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