Man United will start their campaign under their new manager this weekend when they welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag has had the opportunity to do all his trails and errors during pre-season but this is the real deal. Man United have had a pretty decent summer preparation but the team will be judged on how they play on Sunday.
The manager has admitted that there’s still a lot of work to do with this team but at the same time, he and his players are ready for the new season. However, he still has to sort out a few issues, primarily the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester United are undefeated in their last nine home matches in the league but Brighton also go into this match in very solid pre-season form. The Seagulls beat the likes of West Ham and Espanyol during the summer and they ended up losing only one match during this time.
We take a look at what tactics the Man United manager is likely to use and how he could set up his first XI.
Man United team news vs Brighton:
Ten Hag named his strongest team against Atletico Madrid last weekend and we think this was the closest to his original plan for the upcoming season.
Varane will come into central defence in place of Lindelof and it won’t be a surprise if Lisandro Martinez starts alongside the Frenchman.
There’s also a chance that the Man United boss relies on the partnership of Varane and Maguire in central defence and uses Lisandro Martinez in central midfield alongside Fred.
This is one decision will only be confirmed once Erik ten Hag names his starting lineup. Before that, everyone is just going to be guesswork.
Malacia has shone during pre-season but we think the manager will put his faith in Luke Shaw for the first game of the season.
Christian Eriksen has impressed during his appearances for Man United and most people are urging the manager to use him against Brighton. However, we don’t think the ex-Spurs man is going to get a start.
Christian Eriksen looks so right in a Manchester United kit ❤️ pic.twitter.com/z5bwpel6ab
— GOAL (@goal) July 30, 2022
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford are going to come straight into the first XI and will occupy the wide areas but the centre-forward position is going to be a major headache for Ten Hag.
Ronaldo has returned to Old Trafford but he’s showing every sign that he wants to leave asap and on the other hand, Anthony Martial has run his socks off during pre-season. The Frenchman has worked really hard to win over the new manager and as per the rumours, Cristiano Ronaldo will start on the bench on Sunday.
This decision will not be a big surprise though because the Man United boss has admitted that CR7 is not yet match-fit so naturally Martial is the one who is going to lead the line.
Man United predicted line up vs Brighton:
Predicted Starting XI(4-2-3-1): De Gea; Luke Shaw, Dalot, Varane, Maguire; Martinez, Fred, Bruno Fernandes; Rashford, Jadon Sancho; Martial/Ronaldo.
