Rooney or Rashford, Martial or Mata? Man Utd’s expected line-up vs Liverpool

Goal’s Old Trafford correspondent Kris Voakes expects Jose Mourinho to name this line-up in Monday’s visit to Anfield

Manchester United almost have a fully fit squad heading into Monday’s Premier League trip to Liverpool.

Long-term injury victim Phil Jones is missing for Jose Mourinho to take on Jurgen Klopp’s in-form Reds, while Luke Shaw is not expected to have returned to full fitness in time. Following a number of high-profile changes already this term, the Portuguese has some more big calls to make before the Anfield clash.

Wayne Rooney’s recent exclusion has led to United displaying a higher tempo in the 4-1 victory over Leicester City and the 1-1 one-sided draw with Stoke City, with Juan Mata revelling in the central role. And after the club captain was also left out by Gareth Southgate for England’s trip to Slovenia in midweek, Mourinho could decide to prolong Rooney’s stay on the bench.

However, there could be a recall for Anthony Martial following his goalscoring substitute display against Stoke, although Henrikh Mkhitaryan is available following a thigh problem.

If Martial and Mkhitaryan are in serious contention for starting berths, then Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard could find themselves under pressure for a place. Ander Herrera, however, should get the nod once more alongside Paul Pogba at the heart of midfield following a couple of high-impact performances since his recall.

Mourinho, though, will want to look closely at his players’ fitness levels following the break, with Antonio Valencia among those returning from long journeys to represent their nations.

But as long as he is happy that everyone bar Jones is ready for the encounter with their historical rivals, he won’t veer too far from the side which has impressed in recent weeks following a mid-September slump which saw United fall off the Premier League pace.