Three Man United players who could start against Liverpool in Marouane Fellaini’s absence

I don’t think there’s any doubt that our toughest test of the season is just a few days away; a trip to Liverpool away.

Jose Mourinho will be without Marouane Fellaini due to an injury, which is a real blow because the self-proclaimed Special One has put an awful lot of trust in the big Belgian recently.

With that in mind, we’ve decided to take a look at who the manager will call upon to replace the 6’5 former Everton man. Now, we’re assuming that both Ander Herrera & Nemanja Matic are almost certain to start – so we’re looking at the other options.

Michael Carrick (three-man midfield)

The veteran has seldom seen on-field action this term, which is not ideal given the fact that he’s our current club captain. He’s been an influential part of the setup at Old Trafford for over a decade now, and when you need a reliable, wise, intelligent footballer, he’s someone you can call upon.

I’d be more than happy to see Carrick start in the holding midfield role alongside Matic, but I’d have a concern about his match sharpness – particularly in such a crucial game.

Daley Blind (three-man midfield)

Many tend to forget that Blind’s natural position is in midfield, and, in my opinion, that’s where he plays his best football. The former Ajax man started his Old Trafford career being deployed in that position, but after a stint at centre-half, Blind is now mostly used as a left-back.

In terms of positional sense, there genuinely aren’t many better than Blind and I’d have no qualms with him starting at the base of a three-man midfield. The 4-3-3 is probably the best formation to head into this game with, because it’s going to be a tight affair and Mourinho won’t want to leave himself too exposed.

Juan Mata (sitting in front of two-man midfield)

Somewhat surprisingly, Juan Mata has played an awful lot of football this term. To be brutally honest, I expected to see him sold in the summer and obviously, that didn’t happen. You simply cannot fault Mata, because he never moans and he always gives 100%.

Starting Mata would signal attacking intent from United which would be a bold strategy. But, the Spaniard absolutely loves scoring against Liverpool as we’ve seen in the past.

What strategy do you think we should adopt? Let us know in the comment section below.