18yo Man Utd wonderkid poised to start vs Wolves after injury to £55m star

Manchester United graduate Jack Fletcher is poised to make the first start of his senior career during Tuesday’s Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United on Boxing Day. Patrick Dorgu scored the winner with a sublime volley during the opening half.

United are presently three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, and are widely expected to secure another victory when Wolves make the trip to Old Trafford tomorrow.

Ahead of the game, manager Ruben Amorim has revealed that Mason Mount may not be fit to play. The £55 million signing picked up a muscle injury in the first half against Newcastle.

The Portuguese tactician added that Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes may not be available for the game either, having recently sustained calf and hamstring injuries respectively.

If that ends up being the case, it would be a blessing in disguise for academy graduate Fletcher, who has come on as a second-half substitute in the last two matches for the Red Devils.

Fletcher made his debut as a replacement for Manuel Ugarte in central midfield against Aston Villa. He came on at the half-time interval against the Magpies, operating from an attacking midfield role.

Amorim said that the 18-year-old did a ‘very good‘ job during his maiden appearance at Villa Park. He repeated the same after he came on as a substitute for Mount on Boxing Day.

The manager has been impressed by the youngster’s application on the pitch. He appears in line to start as a playmaker tomorrow with Matheus Cunha and Dorgu on the left and right wing respectively.

Joshua Zirkzee can also play from the role, but Fletcher was preferred over him at half-time on Friday. The former may not start, particularly with Roma pushing to land his signature. Meanwhile, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are away on international duty.

United were fantastic in a 4-2-3-1 formation last time around. Amorim has the option to revert to his preferred 3-4-2-1 set-up, but may stick with a winning formula against Wolves.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .