Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee are both in the running to start against Southampton (Image: Getty)
manager will be forced to change things around against on Thursday night, although it remains to be seen exactly how experimental the Portuguese will be against the ‘s bottom side.
is suspended after picking up two bookings in the win over , while there are tight toss-ups involving , , Joshua Zirkzee and at the business end of the pitch.
Amorim will be keen to get to know all of his players but consistency in team selection remains a vital part of his bid to steady the ship.
Here, Express Sport takes you through how United are likely to line up against the Saints…
Man Utd predicted XI vs Southampton (3-4-3)
Goalkeeper: Onana
Back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir left plenty to be desired with his kicking at the Emirates Stadium, but he still saved two penalties – one in normal time and one in the shootout – to play a massive part in a shock victory.
The Turk’s stock is rising but he is unlikely to oust Andre Onana after only one good game, so the Cameroonian is set to regain his spot between the sticks.
Defence: De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez
All three players are suited to the formation and put in big performances against . Given that United were so leaky in the early weeks of Amorim’s reign, the manager will surely look to continue with , Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez in central defence now they have got their act together.
Ruben Amorim will be keen to bank another positive result against the Saints (Image: Getty)
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Midfield: Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Malacia
Dalot’s two yellows will force a change at left wing-back and Tyrell Malacia is the natural replacement. There is also an option to shift Noussair Mazraoui across and bring Amad Diallo into the equation, but for the sake of continuity, Amorim may want to keep tinkering to a minimum.
Mazraoui should therefore stay on the right of midfield duo Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo, who have forged a promising partnership in two tough games at Anfield and the Emirates.
Attack: Amad, Zirkzee, Fernandes
Amorim’s toughest decisions involve the front-three, even though is a shoo-in to continue on the left after his superbly-taken strike in north London.
On the right, it is a close call between Garnacho and Amad. Garnacho set up Fernandes with a pinpoint ball against , but Amad will be fresher for the midweek match after starting on the bench in the FA Cup, and he has been stronger on the whole this campaign.
There is also a tight race for the centre-forward role. Both Hojlund and Zirkzee have been in underwhelming form this season, but the latter looked sharp after coming off the bench against the Gunners and scored the winning penalty in the shootout.
Zirkzee could certainly use a pick-me-up after being hauled off in the first half against on December 30, and a confidence-building game against a struggling Southampton is exactly what he needs.