Manchester United will be without Bruno Fernandes in Thursday’s second leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla.
The Portuguese received his third yellow card of the competition in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last week and is now serving a one-match ban.
His absence is certainly a blow to United as he has been scoring regular goals since the restart after the World Cup break.
Therefore coach Erik ten Hag has to make an important decision regarding his replacement and, in our opinion, Christian Eriksen could be preferred.
The Dane started his career as an attacking midfielder but has mostly played in the number eight role in recent seasons.
Nonetheless, it could be United’s best solution in Fernandes’ absence, as Marcel Sabitzer could be ruled after sustaining injury on Sunday.
Compared to Sabitzer, Eriksen is more natural in the position and has the ability to understand key passages.
We could see Fred team up with compatriot Casemiro in the middle of the park as Eriksen is pushed forward.
The other alternative could be Jadon Sancho, who has tried his hand at the role several times.
Sancho could be an effective option from the number 10 position as he possesses good dribbling skills and ability to shoot through.
As a winger, the Englishman has struggled with his limited pace and Ten Hag could develop him into a real attacking midfielder in the future.
Sancho has come close to scoring in the first minute of his last two games. Let’s hope he’s lucky for the third time against Sevilla in the middle of the week.
