Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has hinted that goalkeeper Andre Onana and new striker Benjamin Sesko could be available for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal.
Onana has been sidelined since the first week of pre-season with a hamstring injury, but Amorim says the Cameroon international is in contention.
“Josh (Zirkzee) and Andre (Onana) are recovering and are options. We’ll see.
“We cannot change everything in four weeks, but we are better. We are training harder and are more prepared to cope with the demands of the game. I’m really more confident, that is clear. Step by step, we will be a better team.
“We want to return to Europe. We have to be realistic with our fans. We will have to fight a lot because there are more teams with time together than us. We have to focus game by game. We want to win against Arsenal.”
Despite Onana’s potential return, Altay Bayindir is still expected to start in goal. Sesko, who joined the Red Devils this summer, could also be handed his full debut.
“I can see Ben being a striker at this club for many years. That is why we paid a lot of money. He didn’t have a lot of time (training), but physically he is ready. That is a big component in our league. He’s ready to play and we’ll see if he starts.
“I think he has great potential. In everything he does, he can play different types of football, he will feel the Premier League is very aggressive, he is going to learn, and he has great potential.”
On fellow forward Rasmus Hojlund, Amorim stated: “He is one more option. We will see and Rasmus is currently still our player,” Amorim stated.
Arsenal’s attack will be spearheaded by Viktor Gyokeres, a player Amorim knows well from their time together at Sporting CP.
“Viktor is in a different league. Sporting have good scouting because they live from the players they can buy and sell to survive. I think he’s a very good player. It’s not a surprise to see him with a big club in England.”
Amorim also discussed his midfield options, suggesting Mason Mount could feature in a deeper role if required.
“Maybe Mason Mount is a player who can play in that position if we want something different. But we have players to cope and win games in the Premier League.”
When asked about Bruno Fernandes’ best position, he said, “Even last season, when he played as a midfielder, he was the player who had more shots near the box. So I think it’s a good thing for Bruno to stay in one position during training.
“I want Bruno near the ball, which is really important for our team. Now we have players with different characteristics who can cope with that, so we will try to manage the game by game, the players for the best positions.
“I learned a lot last season. I don’t need to focus on the future. That doesn’t matter and I don’t care. I need to live day by day. Everything that is noise to our team, I take out of the picture, so I just prepare my team against Arsenal.”
