Trio face fight for final place in Reds attack

UNITED went on quite a journey in their final five games of last season. From the despair of a 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park to the triumph at Wembley in the space of 19 days, it was a transformation that had looked barely plausible.

- TYRONE MARSHALL

That defeat at Crystal Palace was a seasonal nadir and it looked to be the moment the wheels came off for good. At that point, there were plenty of Reds supporters who didn't expect to see their team win again before the curtain came down.

But a couple of tactical tweaks wrested back control, notably, Sofyan Amrabat coming into the midfield and a return to fitness of some key men in time for the FA Cup final.

Casemiro was a loser from the Palace debacle, in that he struggled desperately in that game. He did improve after that but Amrabat's performances meant his midfield role had been lost.

Perhaps the biggest loser was Antony, who was dragged off after an hour against Palace. Not only did he not start a game again, but he was an unused substitute against Newcastle, Brighton and City. Amad impressed when he came into the team and Marcus Rashford was back in the side for the cup final.