If Jesse Lingard features for Manchester United on Sunday, it will be interesting to see what kind of reception he gets from the London Stadium crowd. He really impressed while wearing the claret-and-blue shirt in 2021.
His purple patch loan stint, plus his lack of a role at United, made many wonder if he was going to pick the permanent switch to east London. However, it appears that he’s going to stay put right now and fight for his place.
Manchester United at West Ham United FYIs
Kickoff: Sun, Sept. 19, London Stadium
Weekly Premier League Preview Podcast: go here
Starting XI Predictions United West Ham
Odds: United 4/5 West Ham 16/5 Draw 11/4
The disastrous error he made on Tuesday night certainly won’t help his case, and he’ll enter this one looking to make amends and find redemption.
We’re predicting a coming off the bench appearance for Lingard in this one.
Two players we should definitely expect to see in the first team are Mason Greenwood (who was an unused substitute in Bern in midweek) and Raphael Varane (who went off at halftime when United made a switch to a five man backline, following Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s red card).
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at West Ham
De Gea; Shaw, Maguire, Varane, Wan-Bissaka; Matic, Pogba, Fernandes; Greenwood, Ronaldo, Sancho
Prediction: United 3, West Ham 2
United have owned this series as of late, and they’ll be extra motivated here, as they’re licking their wounds from the Young Boys loss in UCL play.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.