Cambridge v Man United: James Wilson to put pressure on Falcao and more things to look forward to Samuel Luckhurst Here are five things to look out for ahead of The Reds FA Cup fourth round tie at Abbey Stadium on Friday night. Wilsons chance to pile on the pressure James Wilson has underwhelmed in his three starts this season but deserves a starting place after his impact at Queens Park Rangers. The energy he spends is expected of a teenager, however Wilsons movement belies his 19 years. He stretched QPR and his intelligence made for a much more creative half for United at the weekend. Irrespective of who his striking partner is at Abbey Stadium, it is a golden chance to build on his first goal of the campaign at Loftus Road. Will Van Gaal play midfielders in midfield? Since his return at City, Michael Carrick has missed just one match - at Yeovil. The likelihood is he will sit out the trip to League Two side Cambridge, which should allow Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini to start in midfield. Carrick was missed at Yeovil, primarily because the wasteful Darren Fletcher started in his place. Herrera and Fellaini dovetailed effectively against Hull and Stoke, though, before Van Gaal reverted to 3-5-2 at Southampton. Herrera has, inexplicably, started just twice in three months and will be determined to impress. Does Januzaj return? For a player yet to convince his coach, Adnan Januzaj looked alarmingly carefree during the warm-up at QPR. Van Gaal didnt watch United as they were put through their paces and it was just as well. David Moyes compared Januzaj to Johan Cruyff recently, which is unlikely to help the Belgians chances of game time when Van Gaal is his manager. The 19-year-old was atrocious at Stoke on New Years Day, though Uniteds unbalanced look lately suggests he is unfortunate not to have appeared more often. Januzaj did not even leave the bench at Yeovil. His omission at Cambridge would be another kick in the teeth. How will Valdes fare? Victor Valdes is in store for a culture shock at Cambridge. Abbey Stadium is conspicuous by its absence amongst the stunningly lit architecture in the Stephen Hawking film, The Theory of Everything, and the local council have intervened to spruce up the ground. Friday is an ideal occasion to start the goalkeeper 10 months after his knee injury. David de Gea has not missed a game this season however Van Gaal now has a No.2 he can trust to replace him. The three-time Champions League winner has experienced hostility in just about every continent, though, and a goalkeeper of Valdes pedigree should thrive handling the pressure and demands of an 8,100 crowd on a Friday night. Valdes didnt start the game, but along with Van Gaal, he was part of the Barcelona squad that was humiliated by Novelda in the 2002-03 Copa del Rey and lined-up in a Barca side beaten by minnows UDA Gramanet two seasons later. He shouldnt be daunted. Di Maria back in the centre? How unsurprising that Angel Di Maria excelled in a central role at QPR, having toiled up front. Van Gaal bafflingly suggested he didnt know what the Argentinians best position was recently, despite his excellence in a central midfield role, breaking forward on the left-hand side. Juan Matas lethargic performance at Loftus Road could gift Di Maria the playmaker role at Cambridge, another position he would arguably look more comfortable in.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 15:25:40 +0000
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