Manchester United vs Celta Vigo: Paul Pogba and Antonio Valencia set for starting XI return
United hold a 1-0 lead going into the second-leg of their Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo.
Jose Mourinho's injury crisis dissipated a bit in the last week after Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Juan Mata returned for Manchester United's 0-2 loss to Arsenal which will give the manager more options going into their Europa League semi-finals second-leg against Celta Vigo on Thursday (11 May).
The trio were out since the start of April and had missed United's last seven games in the Premier League. Mourinho was dipping into his reserves to make up numbers in the first-team squad but Smalling, Mata and Jones' return will come as a welcome boost for the remainder of the campaign.
The Portuguese boss, however, will still be without five players as Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Ashley Young, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up injuries in recent weeks.
United are facing the prospect of finishing outside the top four of the Premier League for the second consecutive season – they finished fifth under Louis van Gaal in the previous campaign. They are currently in fifth place four points behind city rivals Manchester City with three games left to play.
Mourinho has shifted his focus completely on United's Europa League campaign and hopes to win the competition, which is their only hope to participate in the Champions League next season. The former Chelsea boss has been resting his key players for Premier League clashes to ensure they are fresh for their midweek European outing.
The Red Devils boss made eight changes to the team that started at Arsenal over the weekend (7 May) with Paul Pogba, Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly and Daley Blind all rested after their participation in the first-leg against Celta Vigo on Thursday (4 May). The quartet is expected to return to the starting lineup for the visit of the La Liga side.
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