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Carrick faces big decision on Lisandro Martinez as United chase third
TL;DR
Manchester United aims for a third-place finish in the Premier League, which could secure Michael Carrick's position as permanent manager. The team is expected to field a strong lineup, minimizing player rotation.
Key points
- Manchester United is assured of Champions League football next season
- A third-place finish could earn £5 million in extra prize money
- Michael Carrick's case for permanent manager role strengthens with a strong finish
- Expect a full-strength side with little player rotation
Mentioned in this story
Michael Carrick
Manchester United
Carrick faces big decision on Lisandro Martinez as United chase third
Manchester United are assured of Champions League football next season but will want to finish strongly in their last three games in the Premier League. A third-place finish will earn the Red Devils around £5 million in extra prize money, but more importantly, it will make Michael Carrick’s case for the permanent manager role very hard to ignore.
For those reasons, we expect the boss to field a full-strength side and for there to be little rotation of fringe players into the starting XI.
Defence
Senne Lammens will be in goal. Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw are likely to continue in the full-back positions, but Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu are also available if Carrick does decide to rotate.
Lisandro Martinez is back from his three-match ban and could go straight back into the starting line-up. However, we expect the manager to stick with Ayden Heaven, who has been performing superbly alongside Harry Maguire.
Martinez has only seen 56 minutes of action since early February, so is not fully match fit and could be given 20–30 minutes off the bench.
Q&A
What is at stake for Manchester United in their last three Premier League games?
Manchester United is aiming for a third-place finish, which would secure an additional £5 million in prize money and strengthen Michael Carrick's case for the permanent manager role.
How could a third-place finish impact Michael Carrick's future at Manchester United?
A third-place finish would make it difficult for the club to overlook Carrick as a candidate for the permanent manager position.
Will Manchester United rotate players in their upcoming matches?
It is expected that Manchester United will field a full-strength side with minimal rotation of fringe players as they pursue a strong finish.