Following Manchester United’s embarrassing loss to Sevilla in the Europa League on Thursday night, the fallout has continued, and there are many reports that manager Erik ten Hag is planning a significant purge at Old Trafford this summer.
The Carabao Cup champions are scheduled to continue their quest for additional hardware against Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon, so the Red Devils won’t have much time to reflect on their Spanish capitulation.
The top-four contenders will face another tough test in that semi-final matchup at Wembley against a team that has recently defeated them frequently, with the Seagulls most memorably winning 2-1 in Ten Hag’s inaugural match as manager back in August.
Bruno Fernandes’ return from suspension, who was badly missed after missing the trip to Andalusia, will be a significant advantage for the Dutchman going into tomorrow’s match against Roberto De Zerbi’s team.
The powerful playmaker, a player who truly “leads by example” with his quality both in and out of possession, was “massively” missed by United against the La Liga team, as BBC expert Clinton Morrison observed.
The £240k-per-week player’s return might be part of a midfield shuffle against the south coast team; perhaps it’s time to reintroduce the divisive Fred to the starting XI.
Will Fred start the Brighton match?
The midfield trio of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, and Marcel Sabitzer certainly underwhelmed last time around; according to journalist Tyrone Marshall of the Manchester Evening News, the three seasoned players were “schooled” that day.
Even though he had previously excelled against Nottingham Forest the previous weekend, Eriksen in particular appeared to have a forgettable evening. It is now likely time for the Danish star, who has only recently returned from injury, to make way for the aforementioned Fred.
The latter player, who had been considerably on the sidelines since the 7-0 loss at Anfield at the beginning of last month, was just a late substitute in Thursday’s disastrous effort away in Seville.
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The 30-year-old has not started a single Premier League game since that shocking defeat and was just a late substitute in the previous round of the FA Cup against Fulham.
However, the Brazil international, who may be among those to leave this summer, would undoubtedly bring new life and vigour into Ten Hag’s midfield after being dubbed a “mosquito” by the Ajax manager for his pestilential performance against Barcelona back in February.
The £18 million machine has also been referred to as a “team player” who “puts in every effort that he has” by interim manager Ralf Rangnick, but such effort and work ethic appeared to be lacking as United merely “wilted” in midweek, in the words of The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell.
While the rumours that the former Shakhtar Donetsk player would be sold would suggest that he is not the long-term solution for Ten Hag in the middle of the pitch, he could very well represent the answer in the short-term at least, starting against Brighton tomorrow.
