Reports of the demise of Manchester United have been greatly exaggerated. The Red Devils will head into the weekend Premier League fixture at Luton Town as winners of three consecutive (including a nice W over a very good Aston Villa side).
Two weeks ago, United looked, overall, about as good as they have in 2023-24 when they thrashed West Ham 3-0. No, they are not where they want to be right now, but the situation is not as dire as it was previously made out to be.
Manchester United at Luton Town FYIs
Kick-off: Sunday, Feb 18, 4:30 pm local, Kenilworth Road
Manchester United Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form: United WWWDL Luton Town LDWDL
Premier League Standing: Man United 6th, 41 pts Luton Town 8th, 36 pts
Result Probability: Man United win 53% Draw 23% Luton Town win 24%
United currently sit in the qualification line for a Europa League berth next season. They are not that far off from the top four, and with that a potential Champions League slot next season. Again, definitely not the MUFC standard, not by any means.
However, it’s not doomsday either. There is still hope for the 2023-24 season. Especially now that Rasmus Hojlund has started to bang in the goals with consistency! If the Danish striker can stay hot, and Alejandro Garnacho remains in solid, consistent form, then this side will score goals.
And if they can score in bunches, they will keep winning.
Man United Starting XI Prediction at Luton Town
Andre Onana; Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Scott McTominay, Kobbie Mainoo; Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Rasmus Hojlund
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter