How Man Utd should use their squad to battle fixture pile-up

It's feels like Christmas has come round again, but Manchester United aren't the most thankful of receivers this time.

After their Premier League game against Liverpool was postponed following fan protests in and around Old Trafford, the game was recently rescheduled for Thursday May 13. Normally that wouldn't be such a big problem, but United were already scheduled for a game that Tuesday against Leicester - which will still go ahead as planned.

It means that after facing Roma last night in the Europa League semi-finals, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men will now take on Aston Villa, Leicester and Liverpool in the space of five days at the tail end of their season.

Solskjaer will now be forced to rotate his squad, so let's take a look at the best way he should.

Goalkeeper

Aston Villa (A) - Dean Henderson
Leicester (H) - David De Gea
Liverpool (H) - Dean Henderson

If there's one position that probably doesn't need to be rotated then it's the goalkeeper, but that's also arguably where United are most stacked. Both Henderson and De Gea are more than capable number ones and Solskjaer clearly trusts them both, so sharing the minutes shouldn't be an issue.

Henderson should get the nod against Villa after De Gea was between the sticks against Roma and with just 48 hours between then and Leicester, he can rest and recover before the Liverpool game later in the week.

If United win against Villa they'll maintain a minimum four-point gap ahead of Leicester, which means a draw against the Foxes wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. With the rivalry with Liverpool so big that they need to go as strong as possible, the Leicester game is the one which will likely see the most changes.

Defence

Aston Villa (A) - Williams, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw
Leicester (H) - Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Tuanzebe, Telles
Liverpool (H) - Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw

Defence is an area where United need to be quite careful with their rotation, simply because their first choice back four is clear for all to see. Wan-Bissaka and Maguire are among the players who have played the most minutes in Europe this season, so they'll need to be protected somewhat.

Brandon Williams has barely featured but with Villa blunt up top at the moment, there won't be a better game to rest the former Crystal Palace man. Alongside him should be a strong defence to back him up and help him through.

Expect to see wholesale changes against Leicester. Wan-Bissaka will be able to return after a rest and Eric Bailly can come in too, but Axel Tuanzebe and Alex Telles will need to improve on recent performances to prove Solskjaer can trust them.

With Liverpool the biggest game of the three, it's fair to expect Solskjaer to go full strength. That means Maguire, Shaw and Lindelof will return to the team after a short rest and Wan-Bissaka will continue in his role on the right.

Midfield

Aston Villa (A) - McTominay, Pogba, Van de Beek
Leicester (H) - Matic, Fred, Fernandes
Liverpool (H) - McTominay, Fred, Fernandes

Solskjaer has plenty of midfield options that he can use to his advantage.

As much as Bruno Fernandes wants to play every minute of every game, he won't be able to and he should sit out the weekend game against Villa.

McTominay sat out the Roma game so should be fresh enough to return, while Van de Beek did well in a deeper role in Italy. Pogba has been fantastic and will keep that going so a midfield three will compete well with Villa's strongest position on the pitch and work from there.

Against Leicester, Solskjaer can welcome Fernandes back into the side and can back him up with two more defensive minded midfielders in Fred and Matic. That can provide a solid base to help a much rotated defence while utilising Fernandes' goalscoring and creative ability to win the game.

United will likely go full strength against Liverpool, as mentioned. So we should see McFred start alongside Fernandes to provide that protective base, energy and counter-attacking threat.

Forwards

Aston Villa (A) - Greenwood, Cavani, Rashford
Leicester (H) - Mata, Greenwood, Amad
Liverpool (H) - Pogba, Cavani, Rashford

The attack is where United are most short on numbers and Solskjaer will have to show his trust in youth and hope for some big performances. The game against Villa represents the best chance of three points, so the boss should really go for a strong attack to try and put the game to bed early.

Against Leicester, heavy rotation should continue. Mata has barely featured this season but is fit and available, which means he should see some game time here. Starting on the right he will be able to link well with Bruno and Greenwood, while the pace of Amad on the far side will keep the balance too. The youngster has been drip fed minutes so far, but now is a chance to really introduce him to the Premier League.

When Liverpool come back to Old Trafford, they can expect to face a fresh front line. Pogba's new role on the wing has been highly successful, while Rashford's pace is always a great outlet. Partner that with Cavani's great form at the moment and the Reds have a great chance of sealing all three points.

Full lineups:

Aston Villa (A) - Henderson; Williams, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Pogba, Van de Beek; Greenwood, Cavani, Rashford

Leicester (H) - De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Tuanzebe, Telles; Matic, Fred, Fernandes; Mata, Greenwood, Amad

Liverpool (H) - Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred, Fernandes; Pogba, Cavani, Rashford