Ahead of this afternoon’s FA Cup final at Wembley, our United writers have had their say on how they think the Reds should line up…
Samuel Luckhurst
After the games last week, ten of the 11 places are nailed on. The contentious call is the third forward and, provided he has trained like a demon this week (Ten Hag would know), that place goes to Marcus Rashford.
It appears an illogical call but there is logic to it. Rashford is Mancunian, he has played in derbies from academy level to first team, he has scored in six of them and he backed up his considerable talk in the March derby with the goal of his career.
He will be reeling from his England squad omission and this is an occasion that could revive or end his United career.
As well as Amad has done of late, pitting him against Josko Gvardiol from the start is a different entity. Amad would be the more effective game-changer off the bench than Rashford.
Picking two wingers would also mean Bruno Fernandes plays in his best role. United are effectively one player shy of fielding their best XI, so it would be senseless to deliberately weaken them.
Tyrone Marshall
Ten Hag should at last have something resembling a proper defence at Wembley. While he would love to have a natural left-back in Shaw available, playing Martinez and Varane will improve the spine of the team and that is badly needed against City. They can shackle Haaland.
I would then move Casemiro back into a midfield role but would play him alongside Amrabat, who has added some strength and caution to the midfield recently. United haven’t been as easy to play through with the Morrocan in the team. Mainoo is a certain starter in the final and rightly so.
That leaves the attack to figure out and there are some conundrums. I would play Hojlund as a striker rather than using Fernandes as a false nine. Instead, the captain can play on the right and his diligence could help control the in-form Gvardiol. Garnacho gets the nod on the left with Amad and Rashford as impact subs.
Steven Railston
Ten Hag has used Fernandes in different roles for tactical reasons against City during his time in charge and it seems unlikely he’ll start in central attacking midfield, but I think that’s the best option when considering the alternatives to play alongside Casemiro and Mainoo.
If you move Fernandes to the right to provide additional cover, Amrabat, Scott McTominay or Christian Eriksen would have to start, which would be asking for trouble against City.
There is also a decision to make on Rashford, who missed out on the provisional England squad earlier this week. Amad deserves to start on form, however, it would be a big decision to start Rashford on the bench given he is capable of producing a moment of brilliance.
Rashford should be hungry to prove a point after missing out on Euro 2024 and the best version of himself should be seen at Wembley this weekend.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
