MUST-WIN CLASH FOR UNITED UNDER-23S
Manchester United's Under-23s face a must-win Premier League 2 encounter with Sunderland at Old Trafford on Friday night (kick-off 19:00 BST).
The Reds are currently four points adrift of the second-from-bottom Wearsiders heading into the live MUTV game, which is being staged at Old Trafford with free entry for all fans.
United are five points off safety with three games left and Tottenham, who are 10th in the 12-team league, meet ninth-placed Derby County at Saturday lunchtime, making this a crucial weekend in the division. Victory for Sunderland on the night would relegate the Reds.
Ricky Sbragia, a former Black Cats caretaker boss, took his team for a training camp to prepare for the rearranged clash and must assess the fitness of the younger players who have been in the United States, competing in the Dallas Cup.
One player certain to miss out is forward Joshua Bohui, who sustained a hamstring injury in Texas but Ethan Laird is an option to play at full-back after an impressive Reserves debut at Swansea City.
"It’s great to play at the first-team ground," Sbragia told ManUtd.com. "We have three games there and it’s a different mentality in the way you prepare pre-match. We’re looking forward to it. Against Tottenham at Old Trafford, we went a goal up but have got to cut out the silly mistakes and make good decisions.
"There have been too many mistakes. In a lot of games we’ve been in the lead – we should have had a penalty against Manchester City and then it would have been 2-0, instead it’s 1-1. But we must do better. I don’t think we’ve had decisions go our way – there was a handball against Swansea – but we’re working hard and go forward.
"Sunderland is a must-win game for us. The gods have been against us and we’ll consider what we’re doing and see at the end of the season. But we’re looking forward to it and will do all the necessary preparation.
"We’ll see what condition the lads come back from the Dallas Cup in because we could need some to play against Sunderland. The player is more important than us – that’s the important thing."
The Under-18s also have a crucial match this weekend, away to Middlesbrough on Saturday - live on MUTV with a 12:30 BST kick-off, as Kieran McKenna's team look to continue the bid for the northern title.
Nonetheless, the Under-23s could still call upon some of the younger talent, with Tahith Chong likely to face Sunderland and Ethan Galbraith another of those in the frame for a place in the squad.
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