Ahead of the Manchester derby, Manchester Evening News held a Q&A session with fans about Manchester United's squad selection and player injury updates, discussing Zirkzee's playing time opportunities, the competition between Doku and 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 and bring in top players?

Not in the short term. I think the players Manchester United signed this summer meet the definition of top players—it's just that they haven't invested as heavily as some of their competitors. A new owner might be able to loosen some restrictions, and paying down debt would also help. But now, constrained by spending rules, it's impossible to spend lavishly without considering the balance sheet. At the same time, Manchester United still owes significant amounts in transfer fees, and Marcus Rashford's return has also impacted the team's wage budget.

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

The relationship between the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe still looks like a marriage of convenience, held together by practical interests. However, that relationship could continue for some time.

I think Zirkzee should get some playing time; he performed well when he came on as a substitute against Al Ahly. What do you think?

Zirkzee has performed well twice this season—once in pre-season against Rosenborg and once in the Champions League against Al Ahly. That also reflects the intensity of matches in which he can best showcase his characteristics.

When fit, he can be a very capable player, but his style of play requires certain space and time on the ball, which the Premier League rarely provides. That's why he sometimes struggles in domestic competitions. Sesko and Cunha are ahead of him in the striker hierarchy, and I imagine Mbeumo is too, and even Rashford is probably ahead of him. I hope he gets more playing time against Brighton, but I'm not sure if he'll get a chance against Manchester City.

When will Baleba return?

The £70 million player has yet to join first-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 preparation. The upcoming three-week international break will give him more time to join first-team training and gradually build up his fitness and match sharpness. We hope he can return to action in October.

Luke Shaw should be benched, and Doku should get more playing time.

I think Doku's performance against Al Ahly was mixed. Admittedly, as an attacking left-back, he can be a very good option, but his defensive approach is sometimes sloppy. If he faced Manchester City, I feel Manchester City would be happy to exploit that.

Doku was also largely at fault for Everton's equaliser. He pressed too high when the team's overall pressing structure hadn't formed yet, and that press was completely unnecessary, leaving space on the right flank. He's a very talented player. If Manchester United can control the game and have a clear advantage, I'd be very willing to deploy him as left-back.

But if Shaw can't play against Manchester City, I'd choose Mazraoui, who is more defensively sound. I think Carrick would make the same choice.

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

Ugarte is still in the early stages of recovery, and I don't think we'll see any signs that he's close to returning until well after the new year. A serious knee ligament injury typically sidelines a player for around nine months, and when he does return, the team will certainly be very cautious with his recovery process.

It's only been just over two months since surgery, but he's already back at Carrington. Currently, he's doing some knee-strengthening exercises in the gym—both to get movement back in the knee and gradually restore his flexibility. It will be a while before we see him back training on the pitch.

Traduzido por IA.

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