Ashley Young returns to the United squad after a two-month absence ahead of the game against Stoke, his last competitive action came during Euro 2012. Young has recovered from a knee injury and is in contention to face Tony Pulis’ men.
Chris Smalling (foot) will not be considered for the game, even though he is close to full fitness. Stoke boss Tony Pulis will assess the condition of Glenn Whelan and Michael Owen prior to kick off. Whelan came off during the goalless draw at Anfield with a hamstring problem, whilst Owen failed to make the bench suffering with a groin problem. Defender Andy Wilkinson is back after serving a three-match-ban.
Sir Alex
Sir Alex told The Sun: “The jolly green giants are coming to play against us tomorrow. Michael is not allowed to play unless he brings a ladder. They are the biggest team in Europe. You can get yourself all in a fangle about that because they are a handful at set-piece play and with their long throw-ins. But you can’t make a terror for yourself. Hopefully we can play our game and get the result we want.”
Manchester Utd (from): De Gea, Lindegaard, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Buttner, Valencia, Nani, Fletcher, Anderson, Scholes, Carrick, Cleverley, Giggs, Kagawa, Rooney, Van Persie, Hernandez, Welbeck.
Stoke (from): Begovic, Sorensen, Huth, Shawcross, Cameron, Upson, Shotton, Wilson, Whelan, Etherington, Delap, Palacios, Jones, Jerome, Crouch, Walters, Kightly, Whitehead, Adam, Edu, Nzonzi, Owen, Ness, Wilkinson.
Referee: A Taylor Assistants: D Cann, S Long Fourth Official: M Halsey
