Manchester United will look to secure five successive Premier League victories for the first time since April 2015 when they face Middlesbrough on New Year’s Eve.

Jose Mourinho’s men were struggling to see games out earlier on in the campaign, but a 1-0 victory over Tottenham on December 11 finally got them back on track.

And since then United have beaten Crystal Palace, West Brom, and Sunderland to move within four points of the top four, and three points off of fifth place Spurs.

Their 3-1 victory at Old Trafford over their former manager David Moyes was their ninth success of the campaign, and it means that they’ll go into Saturday’s clash with Middlesbrough confident of recording another three points.

However, they’ll find it tough against Aitor Karanka’s side, who have conceded just 20 goals so far this season – the least in the bottom half of the Premier League.

They also took a point off of Manchester City on their last visit to the city, and they’ll hope to bounce back after a frustrating 1-0 defeat at Burnley on Boxing Day.

In what is sure to be an interesting match-up at Old Trafford, Mourinho may look to shuffle his pack, especially given that they play West Ham on Monday at the London Stadium.

Thus, here are THREE players who deserve a chance against Boro on New Year’s Eve…

Wayne Rooney

If Wayne Rooney is fit and ready to play, then Mourinho should seriously consider bringing him in against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The England captain suffered a slight niggle in training on Christmas Day and thus missed the win over Sunderland on Boxing Day, yet could return against Aitor Karanka’s men this weekend.

Middlesbrough are one of the better defensive sides near the bottom of the table, so United are likely going to need that extra bit of quality in the final third, which is something Rooney has in abundance.

Anthony Martial

Alternatively, Mourinho could look to make the pitch big and stretch the Boro back four all over the place, so he could turn to Anthony Martial on Saturday.

The Frenchman’s future at Old Trafford appears to be uncertain after recent reports have linked him with a move to Sevilla in January, so he ideally needs time on the pitch to prove his worth to Mourinho.

And what better time than against Boro, where United will need his pace, trickery, and directness to break down their stubborn backline.

Marcus Rashford

Mourinho has said in recent weeks that he will have to rest Zlatan Ibrahimovic at some stage over the Christmas period, and he may be tempted to do so against Middlesbrough.

Thus, the Portuguese boss may call upon Marcus Rashford, who hasn’t scored for United since September 24, to lead the line.

Like with Martial, the 19-year-old will be a nuisance to the Boro backline and perhaps force them out of shape, which could create openings for the likes of Martial, Rooney, or Jesse Lingard to exploit.

Rashford clearly needs a goal to get himself going again, but it could be the job Mourinho needs him to do for the team which gets him the nod on New Year’s Eve.