There'll be no Cristiano Ronaldo when Manchester United face Chelsea on Saturday after Erik ten Hag took command and dropped the ill-disciplined 37-year-old from his squad.
Ronaldo stormed down the tunnel before full-time during the Red Devils' impressive 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday and promptly left Old Trafford, having refused a late cameo appearance from the substitute's bench. The Portuguese megastar has since been slapped with a fine in the region of £1million and made to train alone until United return from west London.
The rest of the first-team squad met up on Friday evening as they prepare to taken on a Graham Potter team for the second time this season. The newly-appointed Chelsea manager masterminded a slick 2-1 win for former club Brighton & Hove Albion back in August before the Blues poached him after sacking Thomas Tuchel.
It'll be a much-changed side from Ten Hag compared to his first Premier League XI. David De Gea remains immovable in goal, while Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw should fill the full-back positions after their excellent individual displays against Tottenham.
Speaking of solid performances, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are forging a formidable centre-back partnership and have been protected by midfield duo Casemiro and Fred of late. Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay recently fell out of the team through illness and suspension respectively, and they're expected to remain on the bench at Stamford Bridge.
In attack, the front four should stay the same, with Bruno Fernandes finding the net for the first time in nine games on Wednesday. Marcus Rashford is set to lead the line again in the absence of the injured Anthony Martial and Ronaldo, while will Antony and Jadon Sancho provide the width.
Have your say! How should Man Utd line up against Chelsea? Let us know your XI in the comments section.
Red Devils captain Harry Maguire and defender Brandon Williams returned to training this week to continue their rehabilitation, while right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka has also stepped up his recovery by getting back on the grass. Midfielder Donny van de Beek, however, is still sidelined after Ten Hag described him as a "long-term" absentee.
As for those available for the trip to west London, the United manager wants there to be no distractions in the wake of Ronaldo's outburst, which has brought a swarm of negative attention on Old Trafford. "I understand, there are questions about that. But at the same time it's about Chelsea," Ten Hag affirmed in his pre-match press conference.
"We have a big game to play, so all my focus is on that game, all the focus from the staff is on that game and all the focus from the players is on that game. We have to win that game, and we have to do everything we can, so we need full concentration to prepare for that game and to play our best."
Predicted Man Utd XI: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford
