After Monday night’s fantastic result against Liverpool at Old Trafford, Ten Hag’s men set their sights on Southampton.
Not many would question Erik ten Hag if he fielded the exact same eleven that beat Liverpool on Monday night. Each and every player staked their claim for a place in the team this weekend.
Big calls were made by the Manchester United manager last time out. One of those was Cristiano Ronaldo being named on the bench with Marcus Rashford preferred in central attack.
A change in attack may be on the cards again but with Anthony Martial being unavailable through injury, it could be Ronaldo who returns. Martial did come on for Anthony Elanga at half-time to get his first minutes of the season against Liverpool. With 45 minutes in the tank and an impressive cameo - which included the assist for Rashford’s goal - Ten Hag would have been tempted to start the Frenchman but yet another injury setback has prevented that.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s future remains up in the air but in a game where United are expected to have most of the ball, the United manager could opt for the 5 time Ballon d’Or winner to lead the line and hope he can grab his first goal of the season.
On Monday, captain Harry Maguire was also dropped in favour of a brand new centre back pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane. The pair quickly formed a great partnership and it’s something United supporters will be keen to see more of over the coming weeks and months – especially with the introduction of Tyrell Malacia whose industrious performance was infectious to the rest of the team.
United’s new-look defence looked better than it has for years. It’s just one game but the energy, aggression and desire was something you wouldn’t associate with United’s usual slow and docile defending.
Even David De Gea looked much better in his all-round game. It would be a big call for the United manager to make any changes to the back four at the St. Mary’s Stadium.
Casemiro was introduced to the Old Trafford crowd before kick-off on Monday and watched on as his new side picked up their first points of the season.
Scott McTominay did well but United’s midfield issues haven’t been magically cured with a win against their arch-rivals. Casemiro is ready to go and after a few days training, he should be ready to start and make his debut for The Reds.
When asked about Casemiro in his press conference on Friday, Ten Hag said "Casemiro is fit. He did all of the training sessions. He trained first individually and, the last days, he trained with the team."
Erik ten Hag will be keen to manage the minutes of Christian Eriksen, who has started every game this season so far. This could open the door for Fred to return to the side and form a familiar partnership with his international compatriot, Casemiro. Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford are all expected to keep their places going into the Reds’ fourth league game of the season on Saturday afternoon.
Predicted Manchester United XI
De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Fred, B.Fernandes; Sancho, Ronaldo, Rashford.
Topics: Manchester United, Casemiro, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire, Erik Ten Hag, Southampton, Premier League
Michael Tunstall