Erik ten Hag has already hinted how he will solve three Manchester United selection, amid Martial hamstring injury.
Man Utd will face Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday to kick off their new Premier League campaign.
Manchester United has made solid progress over the course of the summer, but the real work now begins. In order to usher in their new era, United will play Brighton in the opening game of the upcoming Premier League season.
In the nine years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, Erik ten Hag will be the seventh manager, including caretakers, to lead United. With the exception of fellow countryman Louis van Gaal, six of the previous seven managers during that time have seen their first game in command of the club end in victory.
United will be trying to demonstrate to the Premier League how far they have come since their catastrophic season last time out, but any Ten Hag revolution is more likely to be a gradual adjustment than an overnight one.
With little room for error, he must choose the finest team at his disposal in order to win this weekend, which would serve to validate his ideology and the work he has been doing all summer.
The team we are most likely to see this weekend has already been hinted at by Ten Hag’s preseason strategy, but there are still debatably three spots that could change.
A preferred starting XI was determined based on the minutes the new United manager provided to his team during the preseason schedule. The new manager utilized a total of 34 different players during the summer matches.
Following Dean Henderson’s loan transfer to Nottingham Forest, David de Gea is unquestionably the team’s first-choice goalkeeper going into the new season, with Tom Heaton serving as a definite backup rather than a contender for the position.
Harry Maguire, who is still the club captain in defense, appears destined to start whenever he is healthy. But it’s not so evident who begins next to him. Raphael Varane’s physical fitness is in question, and Victor Lindelof played the most center back minutes this summer. Although Lisandro Martinez was brought in with the purpose of starting games, he may require more time to adjust before being inserted into the starting lineup properly.
While Tyrell Malacia has given Luke Shaw strong challenge to start on the other side, Diogo Dalot is the favored option at right-back. The Dutch prospect could be called up this weekend after playing more minutes in preseason than his competitor.
Scott McTominay and Fred seem to be the most likely picks this season up until a new midfielder is signed. However, Donny van de Beek has appeared more frequently this summer than the Scotland international, and Christian Eriksen is another possibility following two strong showings last weekend.
Given that Ten Hag might not be able to deploy the front three that have played the most frequently for him this summer, United will likewise have a difficult time making a decision this weekend. Due to Anthony Martial’s anticipated absence from the match against Brighton, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho may need to move positions to make room for another attacker.
In terms of playing time over the summer, Anthony Elanga was the fourth-choice forward, followed by Tahith Chong and Amad. Because only three players have played less minutes than Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, it makes it exceedingly improbable that Alejandro Garnacho will make his debut.
It implies that three changes—a different center-back, a different central midfielder, and a different attacker—could be made to the lineup that appeared the most throughout preseason.
De Gea, Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof, Malacia; Fred, Van de Beek, and Fernandes; Sancho, Rashford, and Martial make up the United starting lineup depending on the number of preseason minutes played.
