Fresh off advancing to the EFL Cup final, Manchester United entertain Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Sunday. A victory for the Red Devils would keep United manager Jose Mourinho's hopes of a domestic cup double alive.
United have a full squad to pick from
Wigan Athletic, teetering just above the relegation zone in the Championship, will look to prove a thorn in the side of Mourinho's men, who have been in impressive form thus far in 2017. Although it took a few months for Mourinho to find his best team, United are playing some good football despite a recent loss to Hull City.
Manchester United have close to a full squad available for the game. Argentinian Sergio Romero is expected to start in goal, with Luke Shaw potentially returning to action after missing over ten games due to a groin strain. Eric Bailly, who impressed early in the season playing in defence, could return to action as he returns from the African Cup of Nations.
Nick Powell and Reece James, two former players that used to be on the books at Old Trafford, are both injured and will miss the game. David Perkins and Alex Gibbey are also doubts for the clash. The good news for Wigan is that defender Craig Morgan may start after recovering from a nagging groin injury.
What the managers say
Jose Mourinho, discussing the quick turnaround after Thursday's EFL Cup defeat to Hull City, said: 'Sunday is another difficult game for us.
Wigan didn't play during the week and they will have extra motivation to spring an upset. We have prepared well, most of our squad is fully fit and we are excited about the potential FA Cup and EFL Cup double'.
'The FA Cup presents a good opportunity for me to change some players and give some new players an opportunity to impress.
I think we can do it,' Mourinho stated at the press conference.
Warren Joyce, Wigan Athletic manager, identified several threats from the Red Devils: 'Although he is young, Marcus Rashford is a phenomenal talent. He has all the makings of a great player. Pogba, too, ticks every single box. It will be an incredibly tough challenge for us to get anything at Old Trafford but we are optimistic we can surprise a few on Sunday'.
