The start of a new year means the return of FA Cup football, with United forced to wait until Monday night to face Aston Villa in the final third round match. So late is the tie that the prospective fourth round opponent for the winner has already been revealed, with the side that come out on top poised to host Middlesbrough.
Villa failed to make it past the third round stage last season, losing 4-1 against Liverpool. However, the encounter wasn't without its storylines. Villa were without their entire first team - players and staff - due to isolation as a result of a Covid outbreak, with a reserve team putting on an honourable display at Villa Park.
United, by contrast, made the quarter finals, beating Watford prior to both Liverpool and West Ham at Old Trafford en route to a disappointing 3-1 defeat against eventual victors Leicester.
Engulfed in the cacophony of focus on United's recent woes is the fact that Steven Gerrard returns to Old Trafford for the first time since departing Liverpool as a player, with Gerrard now at the helm for Villa - having left his role at Rangers - following the sacking of Dean Smith in November. Before his sacking, though, Smith did guide his Villa side to victory at Old Trafford in September, with a late Kortney Hause goal sealing a slender 1-0 win for to Midlands side.
In terms of their league position, Villa are sitting in a mediocre 13th, only nine points adrift of Ralf Rangnick's struggling side. Gerrard has guided the side up three places, steadying the ship after the five consecutive defeats that culminated in Smith's sacking; he guided Villa to a pair of wins in his opening two matches, only failing to win twice in his opening six matches as he tasted defeat to both Manchester City and Liverpool.
Festive fixtures against Burnley and Leeds were postponed either side of defeat to Chelsea, with a loss to Brentford last weekend marking Gerrard's first consecutive defeats in charge of his new club.
Villa have, this week, secured the signing of Barcelona's Phillipe Coutinho on loan until the end of the season, with the Brazilian rejoining his former teammate in Gerrard. The ex-Liverpool man isn't in contention for the FA Cup meeting, though could feature when United travel to Villa Park at the weekend.
"Ollie Watkins is due back with the group on Saturday," Gerrard said, whilst "Tyrone Mings comes back from suspension - he's fit, well and available."
Former United man Ashley Young "has got an outside chance," according to Gerrard, "he's got a frustrating one where he's still got a little bit of discomfort in his fractured toe but he's doing everything he can to get back as quick as he can."
"We've come through the Brentford game with no major injuries. Kortney Hause has had a bit of tightness since but that's settled down and he trained today. Leon Bailly is progressing well, stepping up his rehab as the days go by. Assuming the last couple of Covid tests go well, we should be in good shape."
United remain without Paul Pogba, with Rangnick saying, "As far as I know, I was told a week ago, it would be a minimum of at least another four or five weeks before he is fit for training again. I saw him this morning before the training session, he was in the locker room, and I hope he will be back as soon as possible. Right now, he’s not been part of the training group and, even if he was back whenever, two, three or four weeks, it will take some time. It’s one thing to be training fit but, on the other hand, he needs to be fit for the match and competition in either the Premier League or the Champions League and this will still take some time."
Meanwhile, the Red Devils have Victor Lindelof back in training after his period with Covid. Harry Maguire, however, only appeared to return to training over the weekend having received a knock to his chest against Burnley.
"With Harry, there is still a question mark," Rangnick exclaimed, "but Victor will definitely be available for the game on Monday."
Eric Bailly and Hannibal Mejbri are both absent for the forseeable future having embarked on their trip to Cameroon for the African Cup of Nations.
"We will definitely not play with eight or nine different players, or even 10 as we did against Young Boys in the Champions League," Rangnick ensured. "We will try to play with the best possible team, with a strong team. There might be a few changes but I haven't taken the final decisions yet myself. We will definitely try to play this game as if it was a normal Premier League or Champions League game."
Phil Jones is reportedly in contention to start again having impressed on his return against Wolves after two years sidelined, with the defender saying, "I feel like a footballer again."
"For me, it’s a very important competition. We will definitely try to play with our best possible team.”
Having been knocked out in their opening Carabao Cup outing, it's imperative that United go all guns blazing in the FA Cup. By the end of the season, it will have been five years without silverware, which is unfathomable at a club of United's stature. However, the task of overcoming Premier League opposition is far from ideal, especially given the from of Rangnick's side.
"We have some made progress," the interim manager said, "but obviously the game against Wolves was again a step back. It was maybe even a relapse to habits that the team had shown in the past and therefore we need to insist, emphasise every time, that we have to work together. It’s about finding a sustainable balance for the future and this can only be done together."
Togetherness is something that has come under fire, especially after Luke Shaw's post-match comments against Wolves - "I didn't feel when I was on the pitch that we were all there together."
Rangnick's response was that, "They are at least trying. I'm sure that they are listening and I think we showed in the last games."
"You have quite a number of players, in our case 10, 12, 13, 14 players, who don't play or are not even in the squad. That those players are not happy about that situation is obvious, it's clear. We have a big squad. I tend to explain to players every two to three weeks why they are not playing but I obviously cannot do that in every game. That is an issue in our team as well as in other clubs."
Harry Maguire has vowed that, "It can’t continue like this - we need to go on a proper run, starting Monday."
"I’m here for the fight and I know my teammates are."
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