On paper, Man United have made a very decent start to their 2023-24 Premier League campaign as they have won two out of their first three matches but their performances have not been top-class.
They scraped past Nottingham Forest last weekend and next up, they head to North London to take on Arsenal in a high-profile clash. The Gunners were exceptional last season so if Manchester United can pick up a commanding win this Sunday then Ten Hag’s rebuilding will be back on course.
Man United’s first loss this season came against Spurs and based on that performance, the Gunners will be the slight favourites this weekend. Also, Ten Hag has a long injury list and that’s going to come in his way of naming a strong starting line up.
Manchester United will need to win on Sunday to get the confidence back amongst the fans because the club has heavily invested in new players during the summer but till now, all that effort in the transfer market has not been reproduced on the pitch.
Manchester United’s team news and injuries:
Untimely and unexpected injuries have been a major issue for Erik ten Hag this season as the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo are out until the new year.
Mason Mount and Luke Shaw started the campaign strongly but both the England internationals have picked up injuries and will be out for several weeks. Mount’s injury is a big cause of concern because Man United paid a lot of money for him in the summer but as per the reports, he will not return before October.
United are actively searching for a new midfield recruit and they are being linked with players like Amrabat and Hojberg. By the time they play Arsenal, the window will shut down but even if they do manage to bring in a new central midfielder, we doubt if he will be available to face Arsenal.
Casemiro and Eriksen paired up in central midfield against Forest and the duo should take the field against the Gunners as well. Ten Hag will want at least one pacey midfielder in his first XI so if McTominay does not leave then he could start in place of Christian Eriksen.
Raphael Varane is the latest addition to the injury list and as per reports, the central defender will be out of action for at least six weeks. This is a major blow for Man United because Arsenal have one of the best attacking line ups in the Premier League so Ten Hag will be keeping his fingers crossed hoping that the pairing of Lindelof and Martinez can keep Saka and co at bay.
Rasmus Hojlund is yet to feature for Man United but his national team manager has hinted that there’s a chance the striker could feature against Arsenal in some capacity.
The Denmark coach has said, as quoted by Metro: ‘I have some clear agreements with the club. He [Hojlund] should preferably get some minutes so that we can see that he’s there.
‘He lacks game time, that’s clear, but he’s going to play a role [for Denmark], so we’ll have to see what he can do.’
Every Manchester United is eagerly waiting for Hojlund’s debut but it’s highly unlikely that the striker will get a start on Sunday. However, if his national team manager is correct then the 20-year-old could get some minutes under his belt as a substitute.
Rashford returned to the left wing against Forest and the England international instantly looked at ease. He’s clearly not a centre-forward so Rashford will once again start on the left wing with Anthony Martial or Jadon Sancho playing through the middle.
Martial has been linked with an exit from the club so if he leaves then Jadon Sancho will most probably play as the false nine on Sunday.
Man United predicted line up vs Arsenal:
Predicted Starting line up(4-2-3-1): Onana; Martinez, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot; Casemiro, Eriksen; Bruno Fernandes, Antony, Rashford; Martial/Sancho.
