Manchester United's Premier League campaign begins in less than two weeks, and Erik ten Hag will be eager to get going with his new side.
The Dutchman will be looking to improve upon the tragic sixth-placed finish last term, and getting off to a winning start would be a huge help for the team that has a new found confidence if pre-season is anything to go by.
August will see United play four games, all of which will be in the Premier League. The dates for Carabao Cup and FA Cup fixtures will be known at a later date,
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Ten Hag will want to see the improvements seen throughout the summer tour implemented in these opening games.
Brighton (H): 7 August
Erik ten Hag's curtain raiser will be against Brighton. The opening game of the season will be at Old Trafford, where all eyes will be on the manager taking charge of his first competitive match for the club.
Whilst seeing his playstyle transfer across from pre-season will be important to the 52-year-old, three points will be the most important thing on this Sunday afternoon.
It was not so long ago that the Reds were embarrassed 4-0 against the Seagulls. The ability to get a victory could be a good sign that the sky will be clearer under Ten Hag.
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With 74,000 at the Theatre of Dreams prepared for a new beginning under Ten Hag, he will be desperate to please those supporters with a win in his first game at the helm.
Brentford (A): 13 August
Next up will be a trip to the capital, where this time the focus point will be on another new face at United,
This time, Christian Eriksen will be the talk of the town after he spent the second half of last season at the Brentford Community Stadium.
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It's no secret, either, that the 30-year-old was offered to extend his stay with the Bees, but the lure of Ten Hag's United was just too strong.
It will certainly be an interesting situation, especially if Ten Hag decides to start the midfielder. He was one of the best players on the park the last time the two teams met in May.
Yet again though, there will be further pressure and expectation for this to end in a victory for the Reds, as they look to build as much momentum as possible ahead of their third league fixture of the campaign.
Liverpool (H): 22 August
It's the big one.
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Rivalry, competition, fight, quality, and never a easy win. These were all aspects of the biggest game of English football that were ripped away last season. United were embarrassed on both occasions against their Merseyside rivals.
This could be a serious chance for Ten Hag to make a big statement early on in his United tenure.
Three points will not be the expectation this time, but if the team are able to look competitive against Jurgen Klopp's men and make the game more difficult, then it will show that United are going back in the right direction.
However, with the game being early on in the season, Liverpool will yet to be in their stride, While we'd all love a repeat of the 4-0 thrashing in pre-season, that is just a dream.
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Making the game competitive, however, that could quite easily happen and then we'll go from there.
Southampton (A): 27 August
The final game of the month could either see United coming into it full of confidence, or void of it.
Yet, in both situations Ten Hag will need one thing: three points.
However, with this being the fourth game of his time in charge, you'd want to see some more developments in the key areas of concern for United,
It will certainly be a long process, but with positive signs already showing in pre-season, it's likely that we only see more of this as the season moves along.
While it certainly isn't the easiest first month in charge at Old Trafford, it is not the most difficult either. If Ten Hag's side can play with the intensity and possession-based football that they have in throughout pre-season, there is no reason why they can't end the month with three wins and nine points.
It can be more complicated than that, of course, but the manager has shown many positive signs since he was signed. Let's hope they continue into the season.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Premier League, Liverpool, Brighton And Hove Albion, Southampton, Brentford, Erik Ten Hag, Christian Eriksen, Football