Man United head coach Ruben Amorim has made two changes to his starting line-up for the Europa League semi-final first leg against Athletic Club.
Ruben Amorim has made two changes this evening.(Image: Juanma – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images.)
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has admitted he needs to manage Luke Shaw’s minutes amid his omission from the starting XI for tonight’s clash with Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League.
Shaw, alongside Kobbie Mainoo, has dropped out of the starting XI after making his first club start in more than a year against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.
The England international has been replaced in the starting XI by Victor Lindelof, meaning the Swede will join forces with Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro in the back three.
The three centre-backs will be flanked by Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu in the wing-back positions.
Explaining why Shaw will start tonight’s game from the bench, Amorim told MUTV: “We had to take [out] Luke Shaw from the last game because we have to manage our players.
“Vic is a player that is really good on the ball also, he’s really experienced.”
Manuel Ugarte, as anticipated, has come back into the team at Mainoo’s expense, being reunited with Casemiro in midfield.
The duo started alongside each other in the engine room in both legs of United’s Europa League quarter-final victory over Lyon last month.
“Ugarte we played in the last game against Lyon and they [Ugarte and Casemiro] combined quite well [in midfield],” the United head coach added. “We want a bit of stability in this moment, in this game.
“They are a team that want to press really high so we put a team that can cope with that.”
Watch Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United on TNT Sports
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£30.99
TNT Sports/Discovery+
The Europa League is shown live on TNT Sports and you can sign up here.
TNT Sports costs £30.99 on a rolling monthly basis via the Discovery+ Prime Video channel and also includes the Premier League, Champions League and Conference League.
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.