Man Utd win big in FA Cup fourth round

Jose Mourinho's side beat Wigan 4-0 in a match that marked Bastian Schweinsteiger's first return to the starting line-up in more than a year.

Man Utd won a resounding victory. Photo: Reuters.

Goals: Fellaini (44'), Smalling (57'), Mkhitaryan (74'), Schweinsteiger (81').

The German midfielder scored the decisive goal and also assisted Marouane Fellaini to open the scoring in the 44th minute. The home team's second goal was scored by Chris Smalling and the third by Henrik Mkhitaryan.

Mourinho used a number of substitutes in his starting line-up against the Championship side, making nine changes from the side that played in the League Cup semi-final second leg against Hull City. These included right-back Timothy Fosu-Mensah, goalkeeper Sergio Romero and, most notably, Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The German midfielder has not played a regular game for more than a year and was banned from training with the first team at one point. Mourinho once declared that Schweinsteiger was not in his plans and asked the German midfielder to leave Man Utd.

Fellaini's opening goal. Photo: Reuters.

Schweinsteiger made a sweet return, sending in a precise cross for Fellaini to head in to open the scoring just before half-time. This time, Mourinho deployed Anthony Martial as a striker, with Wayne Rooney supporting him behind.

The French striker struggled because he was closely marked, but when he moved to the left wing, he had two assists for his teammates to score. In the 57th minute, Martial crossed for Smalling to head in, making it 2-0. In the 74th minute, in a counter-attack, he created an opportunity for Mkhitaryan to tap the ball into the net from close range. 10 minutes before the end of the match, Schweinsteiger bent down to score the fourth goal for the home team.

In this match, Mourinho created conditions for two young players, defender Axel Tuanzebe, 19 years old, and goalkeeper Joel Pereira (20 years old), to have their first team debut. Man Utd had a successful match with a big win, the players were not injured and some key players were rested to prepare for the next match in the Premier League on February 1 against Hull.

Schweinsteiger proved he can still contribute if given the chance. Photo: Reuters.

Luke Shaw was named in the Man Utd starting line-up for the first time since November 30 and Martial was given the chance to play in the striker position. For Schweinsteiger, it can be said that he took advantage of this precious opportunity to prove to Mourinho his ability and professionalism.

This is the first time the German midfielder has been selected in the starting lineup since January 9, 2016. Schweinsteiger was once thought to be certain to leave Man Utd and play in the US, but this performance shows that he has not given up on his desire to prolong his career at Old Trafford.

According to VNE