Sheffield United v Manchester United: Premier League – live! | Football

We are less than 15 minutes away from a belting Bramall Lane rendition of Greasy Chip Butty. Before then, more from Solskjær on trying to improve Manchester United’s away form. “When I came in we went on a fantastic run away from home but now for one reason or another we haven’t got the results but with the form we got going into the international break, we’re hopeful we can change that.” Harry Maguire adds: “Liverpool came here and found it difficult. We have a lot of ability and we need to perform like we did against Brighton and the result will look after itself.”

Some pre-match reading on Wilder:

Chris Wilder talks. “Every game is an occasion in the Premier League,” he says. “It’s still Man Utd, regardless of anything else, with top players and top manager and we’re going to have to be at our best to get anything. Phil Jones is an England international and they still have the top three players at the top of the pitch that have to be wrapped up but we are still confident that we can cause them some problems going the other way.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjær speaks. “Phil [Jones] has been training well,” he begins. “He’s got experience of playing both central midfield and at the back. When you show the attitude he’s shown in training, it’s time for him to get a chance. Marcos [Rojo] is injured, Axel [Tuanzebe] isn’t really ready to come in so it was an easy option. Brandon [Williams] has played really well in every game he’s played. I didn’t find any reason to leave him out. It’s a testing stadium for him to play at so it’s a good opportunity to show his mentality because his temperament is one of his strengths.”

Let’s party like it’s 2015, when Phil Jones and Phil Jagielka lined up together for England in Italy. Roy Hodgson was in charge and Andros Townsend scored in a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Turin. Jagielka partnered Chris Smalling, ostracised by Gareth Southgate, in defence while Jones floundered in a midfield role and neither have played an awful lot of minutes since. On the bench that day was Rob Green, Ryan Mason and Michael Carrick, these days one of Solskjær’s sidekicks at Manchester United.

On the VIP list at Bramall Lane? Fergie, and Kyle Walker:

Team news news: Phil Jones starts, presumably as part of a back three, while the 19-year-old Brandon Williams gets the nod ahead of Ashley Young. Manchester United’s midfield looks rather lightweight, with Andreas Pereira teaming up with Fred. Jones replaces the injured Scott McTominay and Axel Tuanzebe is back on the bench. As for the hosts, Phil Jagielka makes his first league start since rejoining the club, his first league start in a Sheffield United shirt since May 2007. Meanwhile Simon Moore is in for Dean Henderson, who is ineligible to face his parent club.

Sheffield United (3-5-2): Moore; Basham, Jagielka, O’Connell; Baldock, Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram, Stevens; Mousset, McGoldrick

Subs: Verrips, Osborn, Besic, Freeman, McBurnie, Sharp, Robinson

Manchester United (3-4-3): De Gea; Jones, Maguire, Lindelöf; Wan-Bissaka, Pereira, Fred, Williams; James, Rashford, Martial

Subs: Grant, Tuanzebe, Young, Garner, Greenwood, Lingard, Mata

Referee: Andre Marriner

Welcome to the

Harry Maguire Show
. The England defender, who came through the youth ranks at Sheffield United, will lineup against his former club but beyond Slabhead there are all manner of potent threats for Chris Wilder and co to be aware of, and the straight-talking Wilder knows as much. “It’s Manchester United and one of our former players will be playing for them,” he said. “But I don’t want it to be ‘the Harry Maguire Show’. I want it to be the Sheffield United Show. I want us to show how good we are.” The Blades are in pretty good nick, too, having not tasted defeat since September. They will be without goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who is ineligible to face his parent club so Simon Moore will make his first league start for 18 months, a 3-2 win at Bristol City in the Championship. That day Enda Stevens, Jack O’Connell, Chris Basham, George Baldock, John Lundstram and Billy Sharp all featured. Nothing new there, then. As for United, five wins from their past six matches have stirred a gentle excitement and another positive result would do Ole Gunnar Solskjær the power of good now that Mauricio Pochettino is handing out his CV, hunting high and low for a new employer.

Kick-off: 4.30pm (GMT)