Erik ten Hag kicks off his reign as Manchester United manager at Old Trafford against Brighton this Sunday.
As the Frenkie De Jong and Cristiano Ronaldo sagas rumble on, all focus has now switched to United’s Premier League opener against Brighton on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag is fortunate enough to have a relatively clean bill of health bar Anthony Martial's injury going into his first competitive fixture as Manchester United boss with no injuries reported so far and just a small minority in the squad lacking match fitness or recovering from illness.
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There are question marks over some positions, in particular the full backs. Diogo Dalot was one of the players who left early without consent against Rayo Vallecano and Luke Shaw has been battling with Tyrell Malacia throughout pre-season to secure the LB spot.
It remains to be seen if Dalot's misconduct as part of the players who left Old Trafford early on Sunday will be punished by way of losing his place in the starting XI, although with the unfancied alternative being Aaron Wan-Bissaka, it might be safe to assume he will keep his place after a solid pre-season.
Malacia may have the edge over Shaw after his all-action display against Atletico Madrid and the latter missing the games last weekend through illness.
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Sunday may come too early for Lisandro Martinez who has only played one game in red and with Raphael Varane having played less minutes than Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelöf in pre-season, it could be a familiar centre-back pairing to start the season.
Much like Martinez, Christian Eriksen may not quite be ready to make his competitive United debut from the start.
Erik ten Hag has utilised a ‘McFred’ partnership in pre-season and he may look to start both and err on the side of caution until Eriksen has more minutes under his belt, which will no doubt disappoint many supporters. Bruno Fernandes is all but a guaranteed starter ahead of whoever the midfield two are.
Anthony Martial was expected to lead the line, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo was not considered match-sharp. However an injury to the Frenchman will keep him out for the fixture, this could open up a chance for the no.7 to get a chance despite playing just 45 minutes during pre-season.
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Marcus Rashford could also move into the centre if Ronaldo is not ready, with Anthony Elanga moving onto the left.
The man Martial finished joint top scorer with, Jadon Sancho, has also guaranteed his place in Erik ten Hag’s first Premier League XI. United’s No.25 missed last weekend’s final pre-season friendlies through illness so despite being a minor doubt, he should have recovered in time to begin his own personal renaissance after a hit and miss first season.
David de Gea is set to start in goal for what will be the 31 year old’s 11th season with the Red Devils.
Despite what happens on Sunday, Erik ten Hag will be keen to add players to his squad that is in dire need of reinforcements.
Brighton marks the first of sixteen Premier League fixtures before the World Cup kicks off in November and with the competition more fierce than ever, the Reds can’t afford any early slip ups like previous seasons.
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Predicted Manchester United XI
De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Lindelöf, Malacia; Fred, McTominay, B.Fernandes; Sancho, Rashford, Ronaldo
The fixture is due to kick off on Sunday 7 August, at 14:00 BST with Erik ten Hag making his competitive debut in English football.
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Manchester United drew two of their pre-season fixtures, winning three and losing one across six matches, as well as a behind closed doors friendly victory against Wrexham last week.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Anthony Martial, Brighton And Hove Albion, Christian Eriksen, Erik Ten Hag, Lisandro Martinez, Manchester United, Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football