A selection dilemma exists, according to Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, ahead of Thursday's visit from Manchester United.
The Seagulls enter the game having just defeated Wolves 6-0 in retaliation for their loss in the FA Cup semi-final last month. For the victory, De Zerbi put star players Kaoru Mitoma, Moises Caicedo, and Alexis Mac Allister on the bench.
Deniz Undav, a backup striker who put up a strong performance, scored twice in the thrashing while Billy Gilmour was out. The other four goals were scored by Danny Welbeck and Pascal Gross.
Following Saturday's convincing victory, De Zerbi says he must make a difficult choice regarding which players to leave out. Brighton has received praise for the players they have recruited and developed within the squad.
"I am looking forward to working on Tuesday with the players and to decide the first XI. It will be a problem, I think I will not sleep, but it is not a problem," De Zerbi told the club's media.
Despite playing one fewer game than United, Brighton is 11 points behind them. They intend to compete for a spot in the European competition, while Erik ten Hag wants to secure his team's top-four position following Sunday's 1-0 victory against Aston Villa.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez won't be available for United, but Alejandro Garnacho's return to practice on Friday gave them a boost. Since suffering an ankle injury against Southampton on March 12, the winger has not participated in any games.
Evan Ferguson missed Saturday's triumph against Wolves and the Wembley match between Brighton and United due to injury. However, the 18-year-old attacker, who was briefly linked to Manchester United, may join the team again on Thursday after signing a new contract last week.
Meanwhile, According to reports from Sunday, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers were close to reaching a buyout agreement for Manchester United. Fred might be on the way out if the Ineos CEO assumes the position of authority at Old Trafford. That is, if previous remarks made by the CEO of INEOS are any indication.
In the 2018 summer transfer window, Manchester United paid £52 million to acquire the midfielder's services. He has, however, experienced a lot of ups and downs throughout his tenure at Old Trafford and, at the present, trails players like Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Marcel Sabitzer, and Bruno Fernandes in Erik ten Hag's hierarchy.
There have been rumors that United is trying to lock Fred into a new contract because his current one expires in 2024.
Originally scheduled to become a free agent, Ten Hag revealed in December that a condition in his contract had been triggered, extending his stay by an additional year.
Although United may make every effort to keep Fred, Ratcliffe taking over could potentially put a wrench in the plan.
The head of INEOS chose to vent about the Brazilian international in 2019 and insisted that he had been signed for "dumb money."
"They haven’t got the manager selection right, haven’t bought well," Ratcliffe told the Times.
"They have been the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred."
"United have spent an immense amount since Ferguson left and been poor, to put it mildly.
“Shockingly poor, to be honest. We have a different approach here [at Nice] to be moderately intelligent about it. Try to do it more grassroots, trying to locate young talent."
"Some clubs seem to have an ability to do that, Southampton, Lille. United have done it really poorly. They have lost the plot."
Whatever happens with Fred, United does intend to bring in a fresh midfielder at the conclusion of the season.
Despite Liverpool and Real Madrid appearing to be in the lead in the race for the Borussia Dortmund star, Jude Bellingham is on their radar.
Ryan Gravenberch has been mentioned because he previously collaborated with Ten Hag at Ajax. United is also said to be interested in James Maddison because Leicester is prepared to allow the England international leave at the end of the season.
Fred, meantime, has had difficulty getting regular playing time lately.
Gary Neville, a former United player, reportedly asserted that he had "insight" into the player's absence as the FA Cup match against Manchester City next month approaches.
"I just think if we set up in such a way… I’m hoping that we go into the game with Bruno Fernandes on the right and that we stiffen up the midfield with Scott McTominay [holding] and Casemiro and Christian Eriksen or Marcel Sabitzer,” he said.
"And we go a bit more sort of thoughtful in the game."
"Doing what Arsenal did with the three in midfield that were attacking [was the wrong move]. We need to be a bit more [defensive]."
"Erik ten Hag doesn’t like doing this, he likes to dominate the ball, he likes to control the ball."
"He’s left Fred out for the last few months because he wants Eriksen."
“I’ve got a little bit of an insight into why Fred’s not playing, Sabitzer is playing because he can hold [the ball]."
Post a Comment