Man United played out a goalless draw in what was a shocking all-round performance against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League and the Red Devils will be under pressure to hit top gear when they make the trip to Tyneside to face Newcastle United on Sunday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side currently sit 10th in the Premier League standings, having won only two of their first seven games, but they will be fancying their chances to come away with all three points against a struggling Newcastle side after being held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal at home in their previous league outing.
The Magpies are placed 19th in the standings and it remains to be seen whether Steve Bruce manages to inspire his team to a positive result on Sunday after the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Leicester City.
As suggested by a report from the Manchester Evening News, Paul Pogba is out, while Luke Shaw (hamstring), Anthony Martial (thigh) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (illness) are also expected to miss the game on Sunday.
Jesse Lingard is the latest addition to United’s growing list of injuries following a hamstring strain in the Europa League tie, while centre-backs Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are both ruled out.
The Spaniard made some good saves against AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday and United will be hoping for him to continue his fine run of form between the sticks.
Wan-Bissaka is not yet back to full strength after his illness and Diogo Dalot had a pretty woeful outing in the Europa League. But Solskjaer might opt to hand the veteran a start on the right-hand side of the backline.
The Swedish international was arguably one of United’s steadiest performers on an otherwise forgettable night in the Netherlands and he has been one of the first names on the manager’s team sheet.
The former Leicester man has been in a decent run of form and he should be fresh and ready to start after being rested for the Europa League game.
The academy graduate did a fantastic job in an unfamiliar role against Arsenal and injuries to Shaw and Wan-Bissaka could force Solskjaer to field him on the left once again.
The Serbian was quite pedestrian in the middle of the park on Wednesday and United will need a lot more from him to overcome Bournemouth on Sunday.
The youngster has progressed by leaps and bounds this season and Solskjaer should continue to show confidence in his abilities.
The Spanish veteran had a rather lacklustre night in the Europa League but he might once again get a start on Sunday due to the injury to Lingard.
The Welsh starlet struggled to make an impact playing as the centre-forward against AZ Alkmaar but he is likely to return to his usual wide role on Sunday.
The Brazilian has been quite mediocre so far but Solskjaer hardly has anyone else to rely on other than youngsters like Greenwood and Chong.
He has struggled for goals in the last few games and United will need that piece of inspiration from him on Sunday if they are to claim all three points.
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