Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United will be looking to pick up their first win of the season as they travel to the Gtech Community Stadium to take on Brentford in the 5:30pm kick-off.
After a disastrous start last weekend which saw United lose 2-1 to Brighton at Old Trafford, Ten Hag will be keen to bounce back and secure his first win as boss.
Supporters have been debating all week as to who should be replaced in the starting XI. Very few players impressed but Scott McTominay and Fred have been the focal point of supporter complaints, which has been a common occurrence for the last 2-3 years.
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Fans will be eager to see some new faces in the line-up.
Last week’s defeat didn’t just trigger calls for changes in the current squad - fresh links with Adrien Rabiot, Alvaro Morata, Cody Gakpo and Sasa Kalajdzic among others surfaced.
Another player linked to be part of Ten Hag’s rebuild was Marko Arnautovic.
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A move fell through for the Austrian this week after Manchester United pulled out due to the reaction of fans over his past misdemeanours.
Less than three weeks remain in the transfer window and if it wasn’t clear already, last week’s result proved the desperate need for reinforcements in Ten Hag’s squad.
With Anthony Martial still out injured, Cristiano Ronaldo returns to the fold from the start after a lively cameo last Sunday.
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Ten Hag was quizzed about Ronaldo who 'doesn't want to be at the club' in his press conference on Friday. He gave a hint that there is an expectation Ronaldo will remain at Old Trafford by stating: "That's your assumption. That's not what he's telling me."
"I deal with the players we have, we plan with him this season, we are happy with him and now we have to fit him into the team,” he continued. “He has to come to the right fitness levels so that he can do the job we expect him to do."
He also said on Ronaldo: "He had a good training week. He has now two half a games, for starting XI we will see tomorrow.
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“I make my decision and I keep it (to myself)."
The return of Cristiano Ronaldo will no doubt be a boost for Erik ten Hag but it remains to be seen if he’s ready to play for the full 90 minutes.
Here are both teams line-ups in full:
Confirmed line ups
Manchester United
Starting XI: De Gea, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Fred, Eriksen, Sancho, B.Fernandes, Rashford, Ronaldo.
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Subs: Heaton, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Malacia, Van de Beek, Garner, McTominay, Garnacho, Elanga.
Brentford
Starting XI: Raya, Roerslev, Hickey, Mee, Henry, Norgaard, Jensen, Dasilva, Mbuemo, Toney.
Subs: Strakosha, Wissa, Ghoddos, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Janelt, Bech.
Next up, Manchester United face Liverpool in the Premier League at Old Trafford which adds further importance to today’s game which already has a must-win feel.
Away trips to Southampton and Leicester will follow before Ten Hag’s Reds host Arsenal at Old Trafford on September 4th.
Topics: Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erik Ten Hag, Brentford, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Premier League
Michael Tunstall