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Defeat at West Ham United finally pushed INEOS over the edge as they decided to put Erik ten Hag out of his misery at Old Trafford.
Manchester United play their first game since parting ways with the Dutchman against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with Ruud van Nistelrooy taking interim charge.
The former striker will be desperate to oversee safe passage to the next round in front of a bruised but expectant Old Trafford crowd.
Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim is almost certainly going take over in the coming days, meaning this could be van Nistelrooy’s only fixture at the helm in this interim period.
In Leicester City, United have got an opposition who are struggling with The Foxes suffering a difficult start to the campaign themselves.
Steve Cooper’s side have their eyes firmly fixed on Premier League survival and are more likely to see the game as an unwanted distraction, than a welcome relief.
Therefore, van Nistelrooy will be confident that with the pressure surrounding Ten Hag’s job now finally being lifted, United can produce a performance of quality and avoid a nasty shock in a cup competition they will now fancy going deep in.
The Dutchman favoured a back four during his tenure at PSV, something the in-coming Amorim does not, and it’s likely Ruud will stick with that method this evening.
The 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation will see a strong United line-up being named and it shouldn’t be a million miles off the set-up deployed by Ten Hag.
Given the quality of opposition, Van Nistelrooy will surely see this as a great opportunity to get as many attacking players on the pitch as possible and leave his mark on what could be his only game in charge of the club.
He will want to control possession and look to penetrate between the lines and in behind the Leicester defence with pace in attacking areas a strong weapon for United.
United’s midfield should also prove far too powerful for their visitors tonight and with the renewed vigor that tends to come after a change in dug-out, should steamroll what’s on offer from the Foxes.
Summer signing Manuel Ugarte has been curiously under-used so far this season but will surely feature this evening and be charged with getting the ball into Bruno Fernandes to pick the locks.
Ugarte will feel he is yet to be afforded a proper run in the side and Wednesday’s game looks like the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his abilities at the Theatre of Dreams.
Despite a slow start, Fernandes remains United’s most creative outlet and getting the captain into areas in and around the box will no doubt lead to chances.
A similar return to form for Marcus Rashford would also be welcome for Van Nistelrooy with the 26-year-old expected to play and continue his decent personal record against Leicester.
Given he’s only had a day or two to work on the training ground, don’t expect a tactical masterclass from the interim coach but simply a boost in confidence and more impetus in attacking areas will be enough for the manager to hand over the baton with United’s name still in the Carabao Cup.
Feature image Eddie Keogh via Getty Images
