Manchester United players celebrate after scoring against Everton. (Getty Images)
Manchester United travel to the Pride Park Stadium as they take on Championship side Derby County in the FA Cup fifth round.
After a sloppy start to the campaign, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken his team to 5th position in the league without a defeat in the last four league games. They would be heading into this fixture on the back of a hard-fought draw against Everton at the weekend. And nothing less than a win would ensure progress to the next stage of the competition.
On the other hand, Phillip Cocu’s men would be hoping to upset the Premier League outfit and make a name for themselves.
Daniel James picked up a knock in training before the games against Everton and is expected to be out of the team sheet.
While Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford are long-term absentees, Lee Grant is also set to be out for quite some time after undergoing surgery.
The Argentine is a regular starter in the cup games and is likely to take his spot. He has kept a clean sheet in all of the three previous FA Cup games and would be hoping to do the same against Derby.
Dalot was out of action for a long time and started against Tranmere Rovers. He is expected to start ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka in this fixture.
The Ivorian was instrumental at the back against Chelsea but missed out against Everton. He would start for sure and needs to prove himself on a regular basis.
The Englishman would be leading the team from the back. He is a key member of the team and would be hoping to help the team advance further.
Despite his inexperience, the 19-year-old must start ahead of Luke Shaw. Williams has shown his potential throughout the campaign and will need to be more effective in defensive situations.
The Serbian international looks to have improved a lot in the second half of the campaign. He might get the nod ahead of Fred, who needs to be rested for the big games.
McTominay played a crucial role in United’s success before his injury. His return to the squad is a huge boost to the manager, who has had limited quality options in the middle.
The Spaniard is expected to start in the absence of the injured James.
Fernandes has been one of the best signings United have made in the past couple of years. He has brought the much-needed creativity to the team and has already become a key player for the Red Devils.
The English youngster has had a successful journey with the first-team so far. He is expected to start and would be hoping to add to his tally of 13 goals in the campaign.
A rare start for the winter signing is guaranteed in this fixture. He looks to be slowly getting along with the team and his goal against Club Brugge would be a huge boost to his confidence.
