Predicted Man United XI vs Manchester City: Casemiro dropped, Marcus Rashford included | OneFootball

Amidst strong reports that tomorrow will be Erik ten Hag’s last day in charge of Manchester United, the Dutchman himself could be planning one or two big surprises for the FA Cup final.

Despite the BBC’s Simon Stone insisting no decision has yet been made on Ten Hag’s future, transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio, The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg and Viaplay TV pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft have all claimed that INEOS have opted to sack the manager regardless of tomorrow’s outcome, and that he was informed of their decision some time ago.

If true, in some senses this means he will have nothing to lose when selecting his line-up for tomorrow’s game and it will very much be a one-off for him. He need not worry about injuries, bruised egos and confidence levels of players he selects as he would not be around to have to face any problems when pre-season begins.

Of course, at the end of the day Ten Hag will want to go out in a blaze of glory so he will pick what he thinks is his strongest XI.

That of course means Andre Onana in goal and Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the full back slots.

Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are still injured and not in contention.

At centre back, the dream pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez is available. Martinez looks a certainty to start, the question is whether Varane will be given the nod after just 20 minutes against Brighton. We think he will, in what will be his last game for United.

Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are other options, but Harry Maguire has not recovered from injury in time.

Casemiro could also continue to fill in at centre back or could be moved back into central midfield. However, a report from The Athletic this evening suggested that Ten Hag is considering dropping him and that a number of training sessions have taken place without him in the XI.

We can only assume that the unconvincing Sofyan Amrabat will continue in the holding role, with Kobbie Mainoo given licence to roam ahead of him.

Mason Mount is fit again and Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen are other options.

Up front, despite the excellent form of Amad Diallo lately, we are predicting the surprise inclusion of Marcus Rashford on the left wing, with Alejandro Garnacho moving to the right. Ten Hag may feel the occasion is too big for the Ivorian and give Rashford the big stage to silence his critics and end his season on a high note.

Antony could also be considered.

Bruno Fernandes is sure to start in the number 10 role and Rasmus Hojlund up front.

Anthony Martial is fit again but appears not to have been included in the squad. It seems he has played his last game for United.

With all that in mind, here is our predicted XI for the FA Cup Final:

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