Wolves v Manchester United: Premier League – live

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Half-term reports

Rashford dropped because of "internal disciplinary" matter

Oh, hello. On BT Sport, Erik ten Hag says that Marcus Rashford is on the bench because of an “internal disciplinary” matter. There goes the feelgood story of the season!

Wolves started the year by hammering United 1-0 at Old Trafford. But that was one of only 11 league wins in 2022, including a run of just three in the last 24 games, and they have been slowly sinking down the table. They start this game in 18th place, but it still doesn’t quite compute that a team who were part of the mid-table furniture for four seasons might go down. The signings of Julen Lopetegui and Matheus Cunha reinforce that feeling, and it’s so tight at the bottom that Wolves are only six points off 11th place. Even so, there is work to do.

United, in the parlance of our time, are in a pretty good place. Erik ten Hag has recovered from a diabolical start with quiet authority – he could barely have handled the Cristiano Ronaldo problem any better – and, even without Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Jadon Sancho, Edinson Cavani and Mason Greenwood, the team looks much more balanced than it did at the start of the year.

While less phonetically catchy than McFred, Caseriksen represents an almighty upgrade in midfield, and Marcus Rashford’s resurgence is one of the happier stories of the season. United are still a long way from challenging for the two big prizes*, but a win today would at least move them into the top four. They haven’t been at such altitude since March.

* And yet, a little paradoxically, had they won those first two games of the season against Brighton and Brentford, they would be right in the title race.

Team news: Rashford on the bench

Both managers make one change from their post-Christmas victories. Matheus Nunes replaces Joe Hodge in the Wolves midfield, and Alejandro Garnacho comes in for Marcus Rashford in the United attack. Rashford is among the subs so is presumably being rested; the 17-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is also on the United bench.

Wolves (4-3-3) Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno; Nunes, Neves, Moutinho; Hwang, Costa, Podence.
Substitutes: Sarkic, Ait-Nouri, Jonny, Toti, B Traore, Hodge, Jimenez, Guedes, A Traore.

Man Utd (4-1-2-3) de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia; Casemiro; Fernandes, Eriksen; Antony, Martial, Garnacho.
Substitutes: Heaton, Lindelof, Maguire, Williams, Fred, Van de Beek, Mainoo, Rashford, Elanga.

Referee Robert Jones.

Preamble

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Wolves v Man Utd at Molineux. It’s a game that needs no introduction, and not only because I’m running late. Okay, maybe a bit because I’m running late. Yes okay, entirely.

Shall we just get on with the team news?