Strongest Manchester United Line-up To Play Against Southampton: Januzaj, Mata & RVP To Start

Manchester United play their last game of the season to round off a miserable campaign in the very first season after the retirement of their legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. A win against Southampton, who have been very good this season having bagged their highest ever points tally in the Premier League, can end the season on a high for the former Champions.

Here is the expected line-up for the Red Devils:

Goalkeeper: David de Gea

The young Spaniard is expected to continue on goal. He has really proved himself as arguably the most consistent Man Utd player this season and is on the verge of playing for his country in Spain.

Right Back: Rafael da Silva

The Brazilian missed out last week due to a thigh injury, but is widely expected to be fit for this game. Missed out on a World Cup spot, yet the right-back is a very crucial element in the Man Utd team, and is even more required because of the injury to Phil Jones.

Right Centre Back: Chris Smalling

The Englishman will deputize in the absence of Phil Jones. He has had a patchy career in Man Utd. Talent is evident, but his application of mind and his resilience has always been questioned by the Man Utd and England faithful. He should take this opportunity to develop some confidence before the World Cup in Brazil.

Left Centre Back: Nemanja Vidic

The departing Club Captain and Legend will be playing his last game for the Red Devils. Vidic would surely be missed. He would be known as one of the best defenders to have played in the league and for the Man Utd team. Despite that, he’d have to be on his toes as Southampton aren’t going to make his last match easy for him.

Left Back: Patrice Evra

He’s another old guard who is bound to exit the club. Entered the club alongside the departing skipper Vidic, he has made up his mind to seek new pastures. Despite that, Evra has still not confirmed where he’d go, giving thin hope to Man Utd fans about him signing a new contract. Southampton will be a good test of the defensive resilience of the Frenchman, something which has been questioned recently.

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Central Midfield: Michael Carrick

The consistent deep-playmaker for Man Utd is bound to start again in his favourite role in the heart of the midfield. He will be a very key figure in the team as he will have to get the passes rolling from the beginning and set the tone for the game. We have to remember that Southampton press very high and are a very energetic team, especially in the first 50-60 minutes. Carrick’s controlling abilities will be highly needed on the last match day.

Box-to Box midfielder: Darren Fletcher

Darren Fletcher is expected to be chosen ahead of Marouane Fellaini in this midfield role. Fletcher offers a bit more agility in the middle coupled with his strong engine for the box to box activity. Fellaini generally tends to get ruffled when closed down heavily, something which doesn’t bother Fletcher that much. Fletcher offers more work rate, despite being average in technique. In this match, probably energy is going to matter a lot as Southampton bombard energy and generally tire after the hour mark.

Right Midfield: Antonio Valencia

Valencia has been performing decent off late and his contributions have been better both offensively as well as defensively. He has been among the better wingers in comparison to Nani and Young, despite having a poor season himself. He would have to be his usual energetic self and concentrate well during the match. He is a very athletic player and would fully be expected to track Luke Shaw’s overlapping runs.

Left Midfield: Adnan Januzaj

Adnan Januzaj may edge Shinji Kagawa for this role. The young Belgian has been amazing this season having drawn comparisons to the Red Devils’ former hero Cristiano Ronaldo. Januzaj has flair on the pitch, and has a vision that is overwhelming for a youngster. But he would have to be alert on the pitch and will need to combine well with the other players, else the Saints won’t be too saintly on the Red Devils!

Playmaker/Second Striker: Juan Mata

Mata is widely expected to start in his favourite role, in the hole behind the striker. He will be given a free role and would be expected to create chances and link up play with his team-mates. Much of the onus would be on Mata to set the tempo in the advanced areas of the pitch giving directions to Valencia and Januzaj. There is a good chance that Southampton may employ a man-marker in one of their defensive midfielders, just like how Sunderland employed Lee Cattermole to mark him. He would have to rise beyond the usual and offer more on the pitch especially when he’s tightly marked.

Striker/Centre Forward: Robin van Persie

The Dutch marksman marked his return from injury with a well taken goal against Hull City and would be expected to lead the line away at Southampton in the absence of Wayne Rooney who is nursing a minor groin injury. Robin van Persie will need to get into his rhythm and be at his clinical best to propel the Red Devils to a win. In a free-form system with Juan Mata, he would have to link-up play and create chances for the Spanish play-maker as well.