FA DECISION AWAITED
The FA is expected to take a decision on whether to ban Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings for violent conduct later this week. A 3-match ban for both is widely expected. Ibrahimovic will miss the FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge, the trip to Middlesbrough and the home tie against West Brom if the ban is enforced. However, Zlatan will be eligible to be selected for the Europa League tie against Rostov. But the decision can only be taken if referee Kevin Friend did NOT see the incident.
MKHING AROUND AT THE BRIDGE?
When talking about injuries Mourinho confirmed that he expects Henrikh Mkhitaryan to return from injury soon. The Armenian was injured a little while after scoring the winner at St. Etienne. Mourinho said, “Mkhitaryan is still out. He didn’t recover in time for this game. I believe, during the next week, especially for the weekend. He will be fine and we don’t have major problems. Bastian has a little thing but, apart from that, everybody is fine.”
WHAT A SHAW!
Luke Shaw put a sublime performance against Bournemouth in his return to the starting line-up after being frozen out by manager. His display is sure to give Mourinho a selection headache. Though a bit disappointing while surging forward, Shaw put in a defensive effort that would have pleased Mourinho. The attacking aspect will improve as he builds up chemistry with Martial and Rashford.
• Pass Accuracy – 90%
• Crosses – 4
• Tackles Won – 3
• Clearances – 3
• Chances created – 2
• Interceptions – 2
POSITIVE CONTRACT NEWS
Juan Mata is expected to soon trigger the one-year extension to his current contract soon. He is having a solid season after being tipped to leave Old Trafford after Jose Mourinho’s arrival.
NEGATIVE CONTRACT NEWS
Manchester United target Victor Lindelof is widely expected to sign a new contract with Benfica. Though nothing is official as of yet, Manchester United will be disappointed after being heavily linked with the Swede. A new contract though doesn’t mean a deal is off totally as Lindelof may move a fee more than the one previously rumored.
OILING THE AXEL
Manchester United defensive sensation Axel Tuanzebe has trained with the first-team over the past week. Pictures released by the club show the 19-year old training with the big boys. This is not the first time he has trained with the team. He made his competitive first-team debut against Wigan in the FA Cup back in January. He played for the entirety of the second half after replacing former academy team-mate Timothy Fosu-Mensah.