Ruben Amorim has reached the biggest game of his Manchester United tenure, as his side host Lyon at Old Trafford on Thursday night. Amorim knows this game represents his only route towards rescuing his dreadful debut campaign as United manager which has featured a litany of poor results.
United sit 14th in the Premier League table following the 4-1 thrashing by Newcastle on Sunday and winning the Europa League is their only chance of securing European football next season. Before they can even consider that possibility, they must get past Lyon, who arrive in Manchester with the tie level at 2-2 after last week’s first leg.
That game was defined by Andre Onana errors, with the United goalkeeper at fault for both of the French side’s goals, including Rayan Cherki’s 95th-minute equaliser. Onana was dropped for the Newcastle game, with Amorim deciding to take him out of the firing line and hand a Premier League debut to Altay Bayindir.
But that move had no effect, with Bayindir dropping a clanger of his own at St James’ Park to ensure Amorim only had one choice for this crucial game. He confirmed on Wednesday that Onana will be back between posts with a chance of redemption.
“I have the conversation [with my coaches] but it is my decision in the end,” Amorim said. “I think Andre deserves to return to the competition.” He will hope that the Cameroon international can redeem himself, or at the very least, not make any more big mistakes.
As they have been all season, Amorim’s options in defence are limited by injuries, with Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt and Ayden Heaven unavailable. Jonny Evans has returned to training, but also won’t feature against Lyon, leaving Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui as the back three.
A lot of emphasis will be placed on wingbacks Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu to support attacks, with a defensively-minded midfield pairing of Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro likely to start. United have kept just two clean sheets in their last 14 games across all competitions, so the duo will have to protect the shaky backline.
As ever, Bruno Fernandes will captain the side, playing as one of the two No.10s alongside Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentina winger scored United’s only goal against Newcastle on the weekend and will be tasked with stretching the Lyon defence.
Up front, it will be Rasmus Hojlund after Joshua Zirkzee limped out of the Newcastle match with a hamstring injury. Amorim confirmed yesterday that he will miss the remainder of the season.
“Joshua is out for the season,” Amorim told reporters. “He is not going to play anymore this season. We must prepare him for next season. It is hard for any player to stop, but it’s football. He has to be ready to recover.”
Predicted Manchester United XI (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Mazraoui; Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
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