Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Tue 7 April 2026 10:10, UK

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be eyeing Leeds United’s game against Manchester United as a fixture he could get a lot of joy from.

The Whites’ striker was a doubt on Sunday against West Ham but was fit enough to feature on the bench, coming on and scoring, as Leeds booked an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

His availability is certainly a major boost ahead of the final seven games of the Premier League season, and Daniel Farke will need him against Man United.

Survival is not yet guaranteed for the Elland Road outfit, and a couple of poor results in succession could land them back in the bottom.

Ahead of Leeds’ next game against the Red Devils, Calvert-Lewin could hold the key to success.

Why Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be confident against Manchester United

Calvert-Lewin does not hold the best of records against Man United, but he will be hoping to change that on 13 April.

With 17 appearances against the Old Trafford side, the Englishman has just two wins.

However, on this occasion, there is plenty to be confident about due to Leeds’ opposition having what is a mini-crisis at centre-back.

Harry Maguire’s red card against Bournemouth rules him out of the game against the Whites. Meanwhile, Matthjis de Ligt is looking likely to remain unavailable through injury.

Lisandro Martinez is expected to be back after a calf injury in February, but it is not guaranteed as to whether he will be fit to start.

It leaves manager Michael Carrick with limited options to choose from and allows Calvert-Lewin to study up on his opponents more efficiently as well.

How Calvert-Lewin can cause problems for Manchester United

In the Premier League this season, only Everton’s Thierno Barry (110) has won more striker aerial duels than Calvert-Lewin (97).

So, with the Englishman’s physical presence against any combination of Lisandro Martinez, Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro, he could find plenty of joy.

If he puts himself up against Heaven or Yoro, he can use their inexperience to his advantage, with the pair being 19 years old and 20 years old, respectively.

Yoro, despite only starting 17 games this season, does hold the joint-highest errors leading to a shot for Man United with two.

Additionally, if Martinez features, Calvert-Lewin’s height and strength to beat the 5’9″ centre-back to headers and knock the ball on could be key.

Leeds need the Englishman to step up, and the striker has his own intentions as well. Calvert-Lewin could cement his England place with a strong ending to the season.

Doing so in a fixture of a magnitude such as Leeds versus Manchester United would not go unnoticed.