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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Samuel Luckhurst

Manchester United set to rest three players before Burnley and Liverpool FC fixtures

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has promised to make changes to the Manchester United side for their FA Cup third round tie at home to Watford on Saturday.

United play their Premier League game in hand next Tuesday at Burnley, where a draw would take them to the top of the table outright before they travel to Liverpool on January 17.

Watford are sixth in the Championship and have prioritised promotion so urgently they sacked former coach Vladimir Ivic last month and replaced him with Xisco Munoz.

Bruno Fernandes has started United's last nine matches wile Harry Maguire has lined up in the last 19 and both are expected to be rested.

"We go into every game wanting to win, of course we do," Solskjaer said of United's FA Cup campaign. "There will be a few changes, of course there will. In such a season, we have had the quality to do that before and we'll make a few changes. We'll see tomorrow morning who's fit, who's not fit and who's ready to go.

"He wants to play every game, Bruno. But, of course, it's a long season and let's see what team we come with on Saturday. I'll have a chat with him and see how he feels."

Dean Henderson is likely to keep his place in goal for the second successive cup tie and Axel Tuanzebe and Alex Telles are in line for starts. Full-backs Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Brandon Williams are vying to replace regular right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Nemanja Matic, Donny van de Beek, Juan Mata, Daniel James and Mason Greenwood are in contention for starts and Solskjaer must decide whether to use Jesse Lingard amid interest from Sheffield United in signing him on loan.

Lingard, 28, was dropped from the squad for the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City and has not started since the 3-0 win at Luton Town on September 23. Lingard has not played since September 30.

Edinson Cavani will serve the final game of his three-match suspension against Watford and Odion Ighalo could make a farewell appearance against his former club. Ighalo, 32, will return to Shanghai Shenhua when his loan deal with United expires at the end of the month.

Summer signing Facundo Pellistri, 19, has been training with the first-team and could make his United debut this weekend.

Possible United team vs Watford: Henderson, Fosu-Mensah, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Telles, Matic, Van de Beek, James, Mata, Lingard, Greenwood.

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