Ruben Amorim confirms surprise Man United team decision for Arsenal FA Cup clash

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has confirmed one player that will start against Arsenal in the FA Cup third-round tie this weekend.

The Gunners will take on the Red Devils at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they aim to beat the current holders of the prestigious trophy. Mikel Arteta's side go into the fixture on the back of a disappointing defeat to Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek.

It remains to be seen what team Arteta will select, in particular in the goalkeeping department. David Raya is the first-choice option, with Bournemouth loanee Neto also in contention to feature.

For United, Amorim has confirmed that Altay Bayindir will start in goal against Arsenal. Bayindir's three appearances for United this season have all come in the Carabao Cup, and the 26-year-old is expected to line up against the Gunners on Sunday afternoon.

"Altay is going to play," Amorim told reporters on Friday, reports the Manchester Evening News. Marcus Rashford is also expected to be available for United after missing the draw with Liverpool last week due to illness.

"I think we have to put the best team, we have to win and we have to follow the last performance," Amorim added. "We had time to train, to rest, so I will choose the best team to win because we want also to win the cup.

"In the cup, you never know. Sometimes it’s better to win this type of game and then you have less time to rest but your mind is so different you can cope with the physical aspect of the game.”

Amorim also noted the emphasis on defending set-pieces during training the last few days in preparation for facing Arsenal. The United manager went on to explain the reasoning behind his team selection decisions ahead of the clash against the Gunners.

"I think we rotate more in that part where we were trying to find out what kind of player do we have," said Amorim.

"Then a lot of players were returning from injuries, now we are rotating less. I feel that sometimes I have to choose fresh legs because I look at same players in the best position and I feel they are at the same level so I try to put some fresh legs [in].

"Now we had time to train a little bit more, I expect our team to understand better the game. We try to work on set pieces, we suffered a lot in the last game.

"So we will see. I don't rotate because I want to rotate. I'm trying to find the best solutions to win every game. Sometimes I have doubts about which player to put and then I put the guy who is more fresh to cope with the demands of the game."

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