With a win in the Premier League against visiting Brentford in the bag, Manchester United are now preparing for a tough away fixture in the UEFA Europa League against Fenerbahce (12:30am, IST on October 25). A few familiar faces await them in Istanbul—former manager Jose Mourinho and midfield duo Fred and Sofyan Amrabat will all be keen to get a result against their former club.
The Turkish club are 13th in the league phase after a win and a draw in their first two games, while a winless United are 21st (the top 24 advance). All the positivity from Sunday’s win will evaporate if Erik ten Hag and his players are unable to get a result against Mourinho’s Fenerbahce.
To add to the club’s woes, captain Bruno Fernandes is unavailable for selection after getting sent off during the club’s last match in Europe. On the face of it, this does not seem like such a big problem. After all, the Portuguese playmaker has been not been at his best this season—five assists from 12 games may not seem too bad, but his overall game has been frustrating to watch. A delightful assist for Rasmus Hojlund’s well-taken winning goal against Brentford may have been a sign that he was turning a corner (it was his best assist since the one for Kobbie Mainoo’s winner against Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May). But, we will have to wait till next weekend to find out.
Meanwhile, the big question now is who will replace him in Turkey. Fans who have been calling for him to be dropped have said that Mason Mount or Christian Eriksen should be tried in the role. But, Mount has not been seen since sustaining a head injury versus Tottenham Hotspur on September 29.
He has not even made the bench in United's three matches since. There is a rumour floating around in the fan base that there is another injury that has delayed his return to the match day squad. This has not been confirmed by the club or any reputable source, but reading between the lines, Mount may not be ready for the game.
Eriksen, then, is the best option in the No 10 role. He has had a remarkable renaissance, from being on the fringes of the first team at the start of the season to becoming a pivotal midfield controller in the last month. Though he plays a deeper role for United, he has played as an attacking midfielder for a lot of his career and has the football intelligence to play any role in the middle of the park. So, if all other players had been available, the team may have worked without Fernandes.
However, the challenge now is that if Mount is not available and Eriksen has to be moved into the No 10 role, that could leave a gap deeper in midfield with no senior player to fill it. This is because Casemiro sustained an injury during the Brentford game, the extent of which remains unknown. If the Brazilian is unavailable for the match, then Manuel Ugarte, who was not deemed fit enough to start against Brentford, will have to start as Mainoo, too, is injured. In that scenario, Eriksen will have to partner him in the double pivot instead of playing further up the field as the Fenerbache test could be too tough for the young squad members such as defensive midfielder Toby Collyer.
If that is the case, Amad Diallo seems like the only option to start as the playmaker—out-off-form striker Joshua Zirkzee could potentially play as a No 10, but this match is likely to be too tough to try that.
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So, if Casemiro is available, the fans who wanted Fernandes dropped could get their wish—Eriksen at 10 and Ugarte partnering Casemiro. But, without the Brazilian, Eriksen will have to stay deeper and Amad will have to slot in as the 10. In the first scenario, a midfield of Casemiro, Ugarte and Eriksen seems to have the balance to counter Fenerbahce’s threat. But, in the second scenario of Ugarte, Eriksen and Amad, it may prove to be too much silk and too little steel in the middle.
If so, those who support Fernandes despite his infuriatingly subpar showings this season may end up feeling justified in their faith in the Portuguese maestro’s best ability—availability for virtually every minute of every match owing to his incredible fitness.