Manchester United Fan View: Three questions ahead of Crystal Palace clash

Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United face a tough fixture as they go up against Crystal Palace on Monday night, who tend to put on a good showing against the Premier League top-six sides at Selhurst Park. Given that Roy Hodgson’s men are in the relegation zone and are in need of a huge win at home, the team will most likely be attacking constantly on the break and will be making sure that United do not enjoy a lot of the possession or get the opportunity to create many goal-scoring chances with ease.

Looking at United’s form away from home, they have only won seven of the 14 league games played so far this term, showing that the side could do with a simple system that they can follow from the first minute till the end. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have not been persuasive in their home games, as they have only achieved four wins and five draws from the 14 leagues games completed on their own turf.

READ MORE: Manchester United ‘quoted Raphael Varane fee’ as Mourinho eyes Real Madrid defender

READ MORE: Pogba ‘not at war with Mourinho’

READ MORE: No difference between finishing second or fourth, says Mourinho

Here are the three questions which should be considered before the game at Selhurst Park:

Has Jesse Lingard done enough recently to start ahead of Anthony Martial?

Ahead of Monday, an important question is who Mourinho will choose to utilise on the flanks to play alongside the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku? The main favourite is Anthony Martial for sure, who has been one of United’s best players this season, though the rise of Jesse Lingard over the last couple of months has allowed the side to pick up many important away wins. It’s not going to be a straightforward decision for the manager, but most likely he will decide effectively whilst keeping an eye out for the Liverpool fixture next weekend.

Personally, it would be better to see Lingard starting from the first minute, as he has a good understanding with both Lukaku and Sanchez. In the second half, Martial could potentially come off the bench for the last 20 to 25 minutes of the game, against a side that will have quite a number of tired players, which would allow the Frenchman to thrive and kill off the game if United have the lead. At the end of the day, it should be an easy night for the winger that starts the game.

When will we see Luke Shaw as a regular starter?

A lot of Manchester United supporters, including myself, have been frustrated in how Ashley Young is always one of the first few players to be selected by Mourinho, whilst Luke Shaw starts a few games and then goes on to be placed on the bench for a month or two. Without a doubt, it’s not a straightforward situation. However, the former Southampton player remains the best left-back that United have in the squad, despite his injury history.

The 22-year-old has completed only six league appearances this season. The manager needs to show faith and trust him regularly, especially in the important games within the Champions League. No matter how good Young has been from time to time, his lack of positional awareness and poor intelligence on and off the ball, rules him out from being the manager’s ideal solution at left-back. Mourinho needs to understand that his team will only be ruthless on both areas of the pitch if the players are played in the right positions and no-one is completely misused.

Will Jose Mourinho continue to play a balanced setup with three central midfielders?

Without doubt, the Red Devils play much better football in a three-man midfield rather than a double pivot, as it helps to get the best out of the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba, and allows the side to attack properly. Also, the extra midfielder in the middle can help the defence and Nemanja Matic to snuff out any potential danger in their own half. Given that both Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini are still injured, most likely Scott McTominay will feature alongside Matic and Pogba.

In the games at home to Chelsea and away to Everton, the team produced a complete and very composed performance, from showing defensive eagerness and intelligence, to being dominant and ruthless from the clear-cut chances they had in front of goal. Within the 4-3-3 system, United are more useful in possession and movement, and the strikers cause plenty of problems with movement their midfielders dream of.