Jose Mourinho’s men were held to a third draw on the bounce last time out, when Southampton ground out a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. The Portuguese was critical of the referee’s failure to award his side a penalty on Saturday evening, but in truth Saints were good value for their point and the bigger issue right now surrounds United’s current level of performance. Although the Red Devils would have beaten Leicester in their pre-Christmas clash had they demonstrated more of a clinical edge in and around the penalty area, they have since been unconvincing in back-to-back stalemates with Burnley and Southampton. United’s title hopes are already over given Manchester City’s extraordinary dominance of the division this term, with the 20-time English champions now locked in a battle for the top four with Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Everton’s seven-match unbeaten run came to an end at the weekend, as a brace from Ryan Fraser helped Bournemouth to a 2-1 victory at the Vitality Stadium. It was a poor performance from Sam Allardyce’s side, who were also a little fortunate to avoid defeat in their two previous encounters against Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion, but the Toffees have at least climbed well clear of the relegation zone; having been looking nervously over their shoulders during David Unsworth’s time as caretaker, Everton now find themselves in ninth place with a nine-point cushion above the drop zone. Many of the club’s fans will not want Allardyce to be their manager in the long term, but there is virtually zero chance of the Merseysiders going down with the former England boss at the helm this season.
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Romelu Lukaku will miss out for United after being stretchered off with a head injury at the weekend, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic (knee), Chris Smalling (groin), Antonio Valencia (hamstring), Matteo Darmian (knock), Marouane Fellaini (knee) and Eric Bailly (ankle) are also sidelined. Marcus Rashford is likely to play at centre-forward in the absence of Lukaku and Ibrahimovic, with Anthony Martial set to replace Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the left flank after the Armenia international’s poor performance against Southampton.
Everton will have to make do without Leighton Baines (calf), Maarten Stekelenburg (groin), Ross Barkley (hamstring), Seamus Coleman (leg) and Ramiro Funes Mori (knee) for the visit of United. Yannick Bolasie could start his first game at Goodison Park since seriously injuring his knee in a 1-1 draw with the Red Devils in December 2016, while Wayne Rooney and Oumar Niasse are both pushing for recalls after beginning the Bournemouth defeat on the substitutes’ bench.
These two teams have drawn five of their last six games between them, and it would not be at all surprising if Monday’s encounter also finished with the scores level. Backing a 1-1 scoreline could bring a tidy return, while Jesse Lingard – scorer of six goals in his last seven Premier League outings – could be a wise selection to find the back of the net anytime.
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