Manchester United vs. West Brom preview: 5 key factors

4. Chris Brunt’s absence

West Brom suffered a cruel injury blow with the knee injury to left back Chris Brunt against Crystal Palace. Brunt will miss the rest of the season for the Baggies, and the United match will be their first experience replacing him from the game’s beginning.

Look for James Chester to get the first shot at filling in for Brunt. He is a defensive-minded fullback who should be reasonably solid in defense, but won’t offer them much going forward at all. He can’t fill the void left by Brunt, but West Brom will hope he won’t get exposed in the match.

The challenge is that Chester will likely line up against Anthony Martial for most of the match. To say that he’s going to have his hands full in dealing with the French starlet would be an understatement. The combination of his pace, trickery and United’s lengthy spells of possession could give Chester fits. The fact that he’s picked up yellow cards in four of his last five starts also should be a huge cause of concern for his manager.

Success for James Chester will be playing within himself and not letting Anthony Martial influence the match. He can’t try to be Chris Brunt, because he doesn’t have that sort of ability. If he focuses on his tasks and is on his game then he has a chance to help his side overcome Brunt’s absence, even if just for one game.

Next: 3. The style of play