FA Cup final: Connor Wickham feels Old Trafford postponement will benefit Manchester United

Palace striker believes Van Gaal will now rest players

Spectators evacuate Old Trafford after the bomb alert on Sunday (Getty)

Connor Wickham believes Manchester United could benefit come FA Cup final day from having their game at the weekend postponed to Tuesday night - now that the Old Trafford club know their Champions League hopes are over.

The Crystal Palace striker feels Louis Van Gaal is now in the position to rest and rotate players as there is nothing hanging on Tuesday night’s final league match against Bournemouth which was postponed due to a bomb scare at Old Trafford on Sunday. Had the game taken place as scheduled United would have given it their all in the hope they could overtake Manchester City and take fourth spot. As it is, City, barring a 19-0 United win, will finish fourth.

“It was extraordinary what happened,” Wickham said. “There was a bit of disbelief at how quickly it all unfolded. Obviously, they will rotate players and make a lot of changes [for the Bournemouth match]. They will want to keep some players ticking over and give them some minutes but I’d expect them to make changes.

“But we’re not part of that. Now their Champions League place is pretty much gone they might play a very different team on Tuesday. It’s up to them what team they play but their Champions League hopes are gone so their main focus will be on us. Our focus is on ourselves.

Wickham did not see that Palace could take any heart in United having to play just four days before the Cup final. “Not really, no,” the Palace striker said. “We know how good United are. They are used to playing two games a week. They will be ready for us. We have to make sure we’re better than them.”