With Manchester United having signed both Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez this summer, here is a look at how Erik ten Hag's side could line-up with the arrival of both new players.
Formation
It is likely that Erik ten hag will employ his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation at Old Trafford, with the Dutchman having already utilised it to great effect in United’s 4-0 pre-season win over Liverpool.
Goalkeeper: David de Gea
This is one of the more straightforward decisions, with De Gea being a regular fixture in the Manchester United since he joined from Atletico Madrid in 2011.
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The departure of Dean Henderson to fellow Premier League side, Nottingham Forest, on loan for the season further cements the 31 year-olds position as the starting no.1 for the upcoming season.
While some fans will maintain their reservations about the Spaniard, with these generally focused on his ability with the ball at his feet, his shot stopping ability is still world class and allows him to still be considered as one of the Premier League’s top keepers.
Left-back: Luke Shaw
While many United fans will be clamouring for new signing, Tyrell Malacia, it is Luke Shaw who will most likely take up the starting left-back slot.
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Having struggled throughout the 2021/22 season with both form and injury, the Englishman will be desperate to demonstrate the ability that saw him gain a tremendous number of plaudits off the back of Euro 2021.
Shaw is both dangerous in attack and solid in defence, giving Ten Hag the combination of solidity at the back and threat in attack which will see an improvement for United on their finish last season.
Centre-back: Raphael Varane/Harry Maguire
With Harry Maguire recently being used on the right side in pre-season, it seems like him and Raphael Varane will be battling for a spot next to a new face.
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Whilst Erik ten Hag has shown support to the club captain, you can only think that he will have to drastically improve form from last season if he's to start ahead of the former Real Madrid man on a consistent basis.
Another factor, however, which comes into the equation is Varane's fitness and whether he can stay available for a prolonged period of time after an injury-filled debut campaign at Old Trafford.
Both players have great quality when they're at their best. Maguire would provide a more progressive option, but Varane's recovery pace could be important in the high pressing system.
It could ultimately be a test of who can be the better partner to the next name on the sheet.
Centre-back: Lisandro Martinez
United's new summer signing looks set to make the left centre-back space his own. Ten Hag admitted last week that the Argentine is here to improve the team, not the squad.
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Martinez offers pace and ability on the ball, but he also has some of the south American fire that a previous Argentina international had at Old Trafford a few years ago...
His progressiveness will end up being key to how Ten Hag wants to build and despite caution about his height; statistics from last season's Eredivisie proves he's no slouch in the air.
It will be of interest to see how quickly the defender adapts to the league and team, but working under Ten Hag will hopefully make it a swifter process.
Right-back: Diogo Dalot
The Portuguese defender is set to completely leapfrog Aaron Wan-Bissaka as the starting right-back at Old Trafford after pre-season performances.
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He began the process under Ralf Rangnick last term but has now impressed the new boss with his ability on the right.
Diogo Dalot looks like he's building a good relationship with Jadon Sancho on the flank and has also been impressive in the 'inverted' position whilst in possession which Ten Hag has tasked him with.
While it was a head scratcher before, Dalot has made it an easy choice for the manager.
Centre-midfielder: Christian Eriksen
“But Eriksen is a forward player?.”
While it is true that Eriksen was typically an attacking player during his prime years at Spurs, his spell at Brentford for the second half of last season saw the Danish international play more centrally, with Eriksen’s skillset used to launch attacks from the middle of the pitch.
It is likely that the arrival of Eriksen would see him reprise this central role at Old Trafford in a pivot with another accompanying central defensive midfielder.
This would allow United to move the ball around the middle of the pitch faster and create space for their forward players to move into.
Eriksen’s ability to see and execute outrageous passes in quick tempo games would allow him to flourish in this role, should Ten Hag opt to play him here.
Central-midfielder: Fred
Whilst again, this could be a toss up between Fred and Scott McTominay, Fred would most likely be the preferred option due to the form he displayed at the back end of last season.
Fred, while sometimes clumsy in position, does have the ability to use the ball effectively when moving it forward, playing more forward players into space and driving with the ball to draw defenders out of position, allowing his wingers to get in behind.
Fred is also mobile when moving around the pitch, with this useful considering Eriksen’s lessened mobility, meaning a partnership between the two could become important for United next season.
Alternatively, McTominay could be used by Ten Hag, should the Dutchman want to solidify his team defensively.
It should also be noted that should United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong prove to be successful, this is where he would be expected to play, with de Jong making the position his own in a more concrete way than Fred or McTominay would be able to.
It should also be noted that Lisandro Martinez can operate as a defensive midfielder if required.
Attacking-midfielder: Bruno Fernandes
This is perhaps one of the more obvious choices, with Fernandes becoming United’s beacon of creativity and attacking threat since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon.
Boasting a more than impressive 50 goals and 39 assists in 126 appearances for Manchester United, the Portugal international will undoubtedly play a huge role in Erik ten Hag’s project at United.
With the arrival of Eriksen, Bruno will be able to share the creative burden, meaning his own performances may see an improvement, with less pressure for himself to perform if United are to get anything out of big games.
The 27 year-old’s eagerness to try creative passes to allow his teammates to get shots on goal could prove to be a useful tool next season, as Erik ten Hag will be hoping his no.10 will pull the strings to get the wingers in behind the defence.
Right Wing - Jadon Sancho
This will be Sancho’s breakthrough Premier League season, having struggled in his first at Old Trafford.
The 22 year-old was unable to show the ability that led to United’s pursuit of him over two seasons, which ultimately resulted in a £76m fee last summer.
However, Sancho was deployed primarily on the left wing last season, with this one key reason for his stunted performances, as the player favours the right.
Should Erik ten Hag use Sancho on the right, as he did in United’s pre-season victory over Liverpool, the Englishman can be expected to flourish, as he did in the victory over Liverpool, scoring United's first goal.
Striker - Cristiano Ronaldo
This is a complicated decision, with Ronaldo’s future still uncertain after he returned to Carrington on Tuesday.
This could be a huge blow to the club, as Ronaldo was United’s top scorer by a sizable distance last season, with 24 goals in all competitions.
In addition to Ronaldo’s own ability, United are without a back-up that would inspire confidence in the rest of the team, with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford each struggling for form as a central striker.
Should Ronaldo remain at Old Trafford, it would be no surprise if Erik ten Hag disregarded his decision to try and leave this summer and continue to use the Portuguese icon as the focal point for the team’s attack.
Left Wing - Anthony Martial
A bold call, fans of United could potentially see a resurgence from Anthony Martial this season, should Erik ten Hag find a way to get the most out of the Frenchman.
Martial has struggled at United since scoring that sensational goal on his debut against Liverpool in the 2015/16 season.
The player is still only 26 years-old however and only coming into the prime years of his career now.
Despite struggling on his loan spell at Sevilla, which has done the opposite to inspiring any confidence in Martial as a suitable attacking player, Erik ten Hag’s ability to transform players through a personal style of coaching could see Martial find his form in the 2022/23 season.
His performance against Liverpool in pre-season was widely commended by United fans, with Martial scoring a goal that may be the catalyst for his resurgence.
Martial could finally exploit the potential he’s been labelled with his whole career.
Featured Image Credit: Manchester UnitedTopics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Brentford, Ajax, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football