Marc Cucurella starts for Chelsea against AFC Wimbledon despite being on the cusp of a move to Manchester United. Here’s why.
Chelsea are in Carabao Cup action on Wednesday evening, playing in the second round of the competition for the first time since 2016.
And Mauricio Pochettino has raised eye-brows with his line-up. Lesley Ugochukwu makes his first start for the Blues since sealing his £23million move from Rennes this summer.
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The 19-year-old pairs captain Conor Gallagher in midfield, while Noni Madueke and Ian Maatsen also start under Pochettino for the first time.
Meanwhile, Cucurella - a target for United before Friday’s transfer deadline - comes in for 38-year-old Thiago Silva.
The Spaniard, who has been an unused substitute in Pochettino’s first three Premier League matches as Chelsea manager, has been identified as a short-term replacement for United's Luke Shaw.
Indeed, Alvaro Fernandez is United's only current fit full-time left-back, with Diogo Dalot having operated in that position during Saturday’s victory over Nottingham Forest.
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And while Cucurella, who impressed at Brighton before sealing a move to Chelsea last summer, will help provide cover for United, he will now no longer be able to feature for the Old Trafford club in the Carabao Cup. This is because he would be cup tied.
In turn, even if United sign Cucurella they will have no left-back when they start their Carabao Cup campaign.
Writing on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, one person said: "They’ve actually got Cucurella cup tied before loaning him to us."
Another noted: "Cucurella starts today for Chelsea meaning he’s cup tied prolly no chance United work through the deal."
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A third person said: "Pochettino making Cucurella cup tied before he joins Utd. Clever man."
A fourth wrote: "Chelsea playing Cucurella in a 2nd round Carabao Cup game and potentially putting his exit at risk just to make sure he's cup tied is extremely petty."
On the prospect of Cucurella joining United, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claimed on his YouTube channel that a deal between the two clubs was close.
The Italian added that the personal terms were already in place and the transfer should be completed soon.
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Romano added in his Caught Offside blog: “They believe this is [a] good opportunity on [a] loan deal.
“Cucurella has always been super professional even when he wasn’t playing, but Man United is [a] big opportunity and so he already gave his green light.”
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Carabao Cup, Chelsea, Football, Manchester United, Marc Cucurella, Premier League, Fan Reactions