Eddie Howe takes his Newcastle United side to Old Trafford on Monday evening knowing his starting XI all but picks himself.

With Tino Livramento attempting to shake off a festive illness, the right-back position looks the only real point of contention for the Magpies as they look for their fifth consecutive win in recent weeks. This luxury is a new sensation for Howe this term after a prolonged period of uncharacteristic rotation from the Newcastle boss.

Lewis Hall spent the opening weeks of the campaign fending off Lloyd Kelly at left-back, Howe's midfield three of choice has regularly varied and Anthony Gordon has been shipped all over the place with five different players being used a right-wing.

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Now, Howe is content he has found the perfect formula after seeing a marked upturn in performances and results.

"Early season there was chopping and changing because I wasn’t liking what I was seeing," Howe told reporters before the clash with Manchester United. "There is a vicious circle.

"I was chopping and changing but the ideal situation is seeing what you like and not making too many changes to the team. You don't make wholesale changes - which is never good for the rhythm of the team - and now it is picking itself to an extent.

Meanwhile, down the road in Manchester the same can't be said for Ruben Amorim's Red Devils. The Portuguese coach is struggling to get a tune out of his new team and is still looking for the right players to flourish in his distinct system.

Amorim has so far used 24 players in his first 10 games, losing half of them with his side sat in the bottom half of the table. With suspensions for captain Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte on Monday, more tinkering is expected from the former Sporting boss.

"In this moment it's not rotation to see the players and prepare the future, it's simply to not have injuries," he attempted to explain last week.

"I just want to win games because I know that there is a long-term project and we are focused on that. I also know that big clubs don't have a lot of time and you have to win games, so I have a clear idea about the responsibility that I have here. But I'm trying to manage this team to not have injuries."