Ahead of the Manchester Derby, Manchester Evening News held a Q&A session with fans about Manchester United's squad selection and injuries, discussing Zirkzee's chances of playing, Doku's competition with Luke Shaw for the left-back position, and providing updates on the recovery progress of Baleba and Ugarte.

When will the Glazer family and INEOS sell the club to someone willing to invest money and bring in high-quality players?

Not in the short term. I think the players Manchester United recruited this summer meet your definition of high-quality players, they just haven't spent as much as some of their rivals. If there were new owners, perhaps some of the spending restrictions could be relaxed slightly, and if the debt could be paid down, that would also help. But for now, due to Financial Fair Play rules, it's impossible to spend lavishly without considering the balance sheet. Meanwhile, Manchester United still owes substantial amounts in transfer fees, and Marcus Rashford's return has also affected the team's wage budget.

If Manchester United fail to qualify for the Champions League every season, they won't have sufficient funds to spend on the same scale as some of their competitors. I think that's the biggest issue.

The relationship between the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe still feels like a convenience marriage, maintained for mutual benefit. However, this relationship will likely continue for some time.

I think Zirkzee should be given more playing time; he performed well when he came on as a substitute against Al-Shabab. What do you think?

Zirkzee has shown two strong performances this season—once in pre-season against Rosenborg and again in the Champions League against Al-Shabab. This may also indicate the type of match intensity where he can display his best abilities.

When in form, he can be a very skilled player, but his style of play requires certain space and time on the ball, conditions rarely found in the Premier League. That's why he sometimes struggles in domestic competition. Sesko and Cunha are both superior options at centre-forward, and I think Mbeumo might be too, and even Rashford is likely ahead of him. I expect he'll get more time against Brighton, but I'm not sure he'll get an opportunity against Manchester City.

When will Baleba return?

The £70 million signing has not yet joined full team training, and I think at this stage, it's unlikely he'll return before the international break. He suffered an injury early in pre-season, so he's currently a bit behind in his preparations. The upcoming three-week international break will give him more time to rejoin the first-team training and gradually work on his fitness and match conditioning. Hopefully he'll be back in action in October.

Luke Shaw should be on the bench, and Doku should get more playing time.

I thought Doku's performance against Al-Shabab was mixed. He's certainly capable of being a very good attacking left-back option, but his defensive positioning can be a bit reckless. If he faced Manchester City, I think City would be delighted to exploit that.

Doku was also a key factor in Everton's equaliser. He carelessly pushed forward when the team's overall pressing shape hadn't formed properly, and the press wasn't needed at all, leaving space on the right wing. He's a very talented player. If Manchester United control the game and have a clear advantage, I'd be very willing to play him as a left-back.

But if Shaw can't play against Manchester City, I'd go with Mazraoui, who's more solid defensively. I think Carrick would likely make the same choice.

I'd like to know how Ugarte's recovery is progressing. I know his injury is quite serious.

Ugarte is still in the early stages of rehabilitation, and I think it will take time after the New Year before we see signs of him nearing recovery. Serious knee ligament injuries typically keep a player out for around nine months, and when he returns, the club will certainly be very cautious with his recovery process.

It's been just over two months since his surgery, but he has returned to Carrington. Currently, he's doing some knee-strengthening exercises in the gym, both to get the knee moving again and to gradually restore its flexibility. It will likely be quite some time before we see him back training on the pitch.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com