FPL: Which Reds are in your side for the double gameweek?

Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw, in particular, have been regulars for managers up and down the country, with their clean sheets, goal contributions and regular minutes making them must-have players for the 2022/23 FPL season.

Rashford’s 156-point haul is the fifth-highest of any player, while going into this gameweek, the England international is owned by some 52.5 per cent of managers.

Only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland – the season’s highest points scorer to date – and Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier have been selected by more users, with 75.1 and 66.4 per cent, respectively.

Given that Marcus scored the last time the two sides met – our Carabao Cup final triumph over the Magpies in February – he will fancy his chances to notch in their backyard.

In his press conference previewing the fixture against Newcastle, Ten Hag issued a positive update on our no.10, who missed the international break with England through injury.

"I have good hope," Erik said. "He trained [this week] but he had to do some treatment, he had to do some individual training and, today, he joined in the group. I think we have one more day so I have good hope he's available. I think so."

The clash against Newcastle is fixture one of two for both sides across the next few days, with as many as 12 Premier League sides having a midweek match in addition to the weekend’s games.

For FPL managers, this is a godsend, opening up the opportunity to use their ‘Bench Boost,’ ‘Free Hit’ or ‘Triple Captain’ chips and gain an advantage over their rivals.

Many bosses will also be looking to captain Marcus, with the two fixtures presenting a chance to achieve a big points haul – given the skipper has their tally for the week doubled.

This happened back in February, when United beat Crystal Palace and drew with Leeds at Old Trafford across a double gameweek.

Rashford scored in both fixtures and also provided an assist for Bruno Fernandes in the win over Palace to achieve a 20-point total for the week. Those who selected Marcus as their captain were rewarded with 40 points, and if anyone used their 'Triple Captain' chip, it racked up a whopping 60 points.

Could he emulate that this week, if cleared fit to play?

Rashford has returned to training earlier this week at Carrington, and our fans – plus FPL managers - will be hoping he is involved against both Newcastle and Brentford, the latter match taking place at Old Trafford on Wednesday (20:00 BST).

While the Bees inflicted that 4-0 defeat on United at the beginning of the season, Ten Hag’s side are a different animal now, particularly at Old Trafford.

The Reds have kept 11 clean sheets in the Premier League so far in 2022/23, just one below Arsenal and Newcastle, who top the charts.

This makes Shaw an equally valuable asset for this gameweek, illustrated by the left-back being the third-most selected defender in FPL at present, with 20.5 per cent of managers choosing Luke.

📈 Luke Shaw (£5.2m) is the most-bought defender ahead of Double Gameweek 29, with over 110,000 new #FPL managers 👀

He's one to consider, says The Scout ➡️ https://t.co/kD867JW02Y pic.twitter.com/xzbyLWR1EY

— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) March 28, 2023

He also has the sixth-highest score in the league for creativity too, indicating his influence at both ends of the pitch.

At £5.2 million, he costs far less than the most-selected defender Trippier, and the same amount as Arsenal’s William Saliba, who only has one game this week. 

A big spell awaits the Reds in the Premier League, and as far as fantasy football is concerned, Rashford and Shaw remain shoo-ins in my side.