Manchester United vs RB Leipzig Preview: Should Marcus Rashford be benched? Cavani, Martial can use the minutes
Marcus Rashford has been a vital cog for Manchester United so far in their Premier League and Champions League campaigns. So far in the season, he has two goals, two assists, and 13 shots. As far as the side's Champions League campaign goes, Rashford was instrumental in finding the back of the net against Paris Saint-Germain. As they gear up to face a stiff German competitive outfit in RB Leipzig, the question for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be to see if he could have Rashford on the bench.
The reason would simply be to rest their star forward considering the minutes he's played so far. There is ample backup with Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial coming in. The 33-year-old Uruguay striker could use some minutes and it will be an opportunity for their latest signing to show his mettle. Martial, after the violent red carding against Tottenham Hotspur, will be available for this game, but will anyway sit out for the clash against Arsenal serving his three-match ban.
With Monaco forward warming the benches, Gunnar could probably give him some game time and use him in the starting XI giving Rashford that much-needed break. While some would argue this would be a stretch considering the side has played just five Premier League games, the grueling schedule, and the long season means the gaffer plays a key role in keeping his players fresh. And then there's Mason Greenwood waiting in the wings for some minutes.
That said, Solskjaer hinted he would pretty much play the same squad. Talking ahead of the game's press conference, the manager said that there were "a couple of doubts and knocks as you’d expect, but I think we’ll be more or less the same squad." However, the next best option for Solskjaer is to probably get Rashford a substitution role to keep him ready for an all-important clash against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
Cavani, who signed for the Red Devils on transfer deadline day, made his first appearance in their drawn affair against Chelsea, and almost scored with his first touch of the game making a dream debut come true, but it was not to be.
Edouard Mendy's brilliance for Chelsea as he stopped Juan Mata and Rashford's strikes meant United would have been content with just one point. Eric Bailly and Jesse Lingard are still unavailable. Both sides haven't faced each other in a competitive fixture and the sides will be keen on registering another win to top the table.
Kick-off is slated for 4 pm ET on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, at Old Trafford. The game can be watched live on CBS All Access.