DANNY MURPHY: Believe it or not, Bruno Fernandes' absence will HELP Manchester United against Liverpool... and out-of-form Marcus Rashford should get the armband

With Manchester United visiting Liverpool and facing a potential third loss in the space of a week, Danny Murphy answers the biggest questions ahead of the clash. 

The Red Devils will be without Bruno Fernandes for the tie after he was booked for dissent in the 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth.

However, Murphy writes that missing Fernandes will make an easier game-plan for Erik ten Hag, with a more solid midfield. 

He also argues that Marcus Rashford should be named as captain despite his ailing form, answers whether another 7-0 is on the cards, and gives a surprising combined XI of the two sides.  

NO BRUNO, NO PROBLEM?

The United captain's suspension makes the manager's game-plan easier. Bruno is a great player but to shoehorn him into the team at Anfield, Erik ten Hag would have needed to play him out wide.

Without him, United can be more solid with a midfield three of Sofyan Amrabat, Kobbie Mainoo and Scott McTominay, and have pace on the flanks for counter-attacks by Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony.

If Bruno occupied one of those positions, he wouldn't be quick enough in transition and this way McTominay can get forward to support Rasmus Hojlund.

WHO TAKES UNITED ARMBAND?

If I'm Ten Hag fighting for my job, I am putting Rashford straight back in the team after illness — with the armband.

I'm sure some fans won't like it given his disappointing form this season but a manager's job is to get his best players playing. Rashford is one of them so take a risk, give him extra responsibility and see how he does.

It's not as if Antony or Garnacho are undroppable. Garnacho has been great this season but looked jaded of late. But he might still be worth deploying on the right so Rashford can go into his preferred position on the left.

PLAY NATURAL GAME OR TWEAK TACTICS?

We all know the United tradition of playing on the front foot but sometimes you need to respect the opposition — it's the best way to get a result.

I played in many Liverpool-United games when they were the best team in Europe and we were underdogs like United are now.

If Ten Hag tries to go toe-to-toe, United will lose heavily. They should be pragmatic and use the pace of Rashford and Garnacho down the wings to give Liverpool problems.

United have to put their egos at the door, accept they are not as good as Liverpool and find a plan to win any way.

ARE INJURIES TO BLAME FOR UNITED'S POOR FORM?

Partially. They lost games and conceded goals when players like Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez were fit, so it's not the only factor. 

Of course the number of changes, particularly in defence, aren't helpful but it's not the reason they've lost more games than they've won this season.

HOW IS ALEXANDER-ARNOLD BEST USED?

The hybrid role he's playing, stepping out from right-back into midfield, has worked well this season. I know Trent is a full-time midfielder for England but they play a different way — they don't use inverted full-backs. 

If he went into midfield, Liverpool would lose potency because you'd get a more defensive right-back like Joe Gomez and have to leave out one of the midfielders like Ryan Gravenberch or Curtis Jones, reducing their overall attacking threat.

England and Liverpool have different personnel — Jurgen Klopp doesn't have a Declan Rice or Kyle Walker, for example — so it makes sense for Alexander-Arnold to play a hybrid role for his club, and solely in midfield for his country.

IS THIS MO SALAH'S SWANSONG?

I thought he might go to Saudi last summer but now I feel he may stay next year, too. He seems to believe in the new project at Liverpool and is enjoying his role as a senior player in Klopp's latest team.

Salah is already in Liverpool's greatest XI and probably the ultimate Premier League XI as well but I can't see him superseding Kenny Dalglish or Steven Gerrard because they were at Anfield so long.

One day, Salah may go to Saudi. But he's as fit as a fiddle so there's lots of time for that.

IS ANOTHER 7-0 POSSIBLE?

I'd be flabbergasted. For a 7-0, everything has to go wrong for one team and right for the other. I think this will be much closer.

SECRET OF YOUR SUCCESS AGAINST UNITED?

Tactics were important. We stayed compact, disciplined and tried to make it really hard for a great United team. Individual pride also counts for a lot in the dressing room. 

We had guys such as Gerrard and Michael Owen who were fed up with all the trophies United were winning and wanted to show they were every bit as good as United's star players like David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

United's players have to try to emulate that. Rashford and Garnacho have to have the mindset of going out there and overshadowing Salah. Hojlund should want to prove that he's a better centre-forward than Darwin Nunez.

That desire can work wonders. One of my favourite memories was walking off at Old Trafford with a 1-0 win, me scoring the winner and Stevie G voted man of the match.