Jose Mourinho poses for selfies with Bournemouth fans

Teams: Alexis starts, Lukaku absence explained

Saturday 03 November 2018 12:09

Alexis Sanchez was back in Jose Mourinho's starting XI when the teams were announced for Manchester United's Premier League match at Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Chilean striker's recall, as a replacement for Marcus Rashford, was the only change from the side that beat Everton 2-1 at Old Trafford last time out with Juan Mata and Anthony Martial joining him in a front three.

The latter started the game looking to add his four goals from his previous three Premier League appearances.

Rashford and the recovering Jesse Lingard were named among the substitutes, but Romelu Lukaku was missing from the matchday squad due to injury.

"Lukaku yesterday, in training, after the press conference so I was not lying, he felt something that needs to be studied in the next couple of days," Mourinho explained, in his pre-match interview on BT Sport.

"So Lukaku has not come with us and we decided to start with Alexis."

Mourinho's decision to stick with 10 of the 11 players who faced Everton means there is an increasingly familiar picture in midfield and defence with Nemanja Matic, Fred and Paul Pogba lining up in front of captain Ashley Young, Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw and, of course, goalkeeper David De Gea.

United: De Gea; Young (c), Lindelof, Smalling, Shaw; Matic, Fred, Pogba; Mata, Alexis, Martial. 

Substitutes: Romero, Darmian, Jones, Herrera, McTominay, Lingard, Rashford.
As for Bournemouth, they reverted to a 4-4-2 formation after playing three at the back in their last two matches against Fulham in the Premier League and Norwich City in the Carabao Cup, meaning youngster David Brooks, who usually plays as a winger, was selected up front with Callum Wilson.

The Cherries too have made just the one personnel change since their last Premier League outing, as Junior Stanislas - who scored in the midweek win over Norwich - comes in for Charlie Daniels.

Bournemouth: Begovic, Smith, Ake, S. Cook, Francis, Fraser, Lerma, L. Cook, Stanislas, Brooks, Wilson.

Substitutes: Boruc, Daniels, Surman, Gosling, Ibe, Mousset, Defoe.

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