Team news for Liverpool showdown

Wednesday 12 May 2021 13:30

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will freshen up his side for the visit of Liverpool on Thursday, welcoming back those who were afforded a rest against Leicester City.

The boss made 10 changes to his line-up for the 2-1 reverse to the Foxes, with only Mason Greenwood remaining in the XI. Although that would seem to suggest the in-form striker will start on the bench, Ole has suggested he will still be involved at some point against Jurgen Klopp's men, after scoring against them in the Emirates FA Cup.

Harry Maguire is ruled out again and is set to miss the remainder of the Premier League campaign, even if it is still hoped he could lead the team out in Gdansk for the Europa League final against Villarreal on 26 May.

Ole’s press conference to preview Liverpool (H) Video

Ole’s press conference to preview Liverpool (H)

Solskjaer discusses Maguire and Cavani, ahead of our rearranged game against the Merseysiders…

The manager explained the ankle injury sustained by the skipper at Aston Villa is a serious one, which led to the centre-back wearing a protective boot while watching the game against his former club Leicester.

“The good news was it wasn’t broken," he said. "There was no fracture, but a ligament injury, of course, is serious as well. If I’m very positive - that’s maybe stretching it - I’m hopeful that he might be ready for it. I don’t think he’ll play in the league again before [the end of the season]. We’ll do everything we can to get him ready for the final. 

“You always try to look after players long term. If he’s fit, he’ll play for us, if he’s not he won’t. As I said, we’re hopeful that he’s ready. If he’s ready for us, he’ll probably be ready for the Euros. Norway are not in the Euros, so I’m not really that concerned [about the European Championship].”

Winger Daniel James must be a doubt while Anthony Martial is still on the road to recovery.

“There will be changes, of course but many of the players that played tonight did really well so they’re in contention as well," added Ole. “It’s about managing the squad now and building momentum, building confidence, making sure we get enough points to get second [place] and then going into the final confident.”

90 in 20: United 1 Leicester City 2 Video

90 in 20: United 1 Leicester City 2

Watch the extended highlights to see how Ole’s much-changed Reds performed against a full-strength Foxes side…

Dean Henderson, Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay, Fred and Paul Pogba did not feature on the pitch at all on Tuesday so, hopefully, they will be ready to play from the first whistle.

Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford came off the bench in the second half but all three could be in from the start as the Reds look to go a long way towards clinching second spot and ending Liverpool's hopes of competing in next season's Champions League.

Everything Ole said before Liverpool's visit

 Article

The full transcript of Solskjaer's press conference, as United prepare for a third Premier League game in five days.

LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS

Anfield boss Klopp is without centre-backs Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. Van Dijk has confirmed he will also be forced to sit out the European Championship with the Netherlands as he instead focuses on a pre-season return.

Fellow defenders Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies have also been sidelined, while James Milner and Jordan Henderson appear to be unavailable. Naby Keita and Divock Origi have also picked up knocks.

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