Manchester United will look to bounce back after two successive defeats in the Premier League when they visit Southampton on September 14th at 12:30 UK time.
Erik ten Hag is facing a race against time to secure his position as the head coach having been tactically outplayed by Brighton and Liverpool on the previous couple of occasions.
Here is a look at how Man Utd could line-up against the Saints.
Goalkeeper – It would be remiss to blame Manchester United’s recent failures on Andre Onana. The Cameroonian will retain his place in the starting eleven as he bids to keep his second clean sheet of the season against a team that has lost all three of its Premier League games so far this campaign.
Defenders – Luke Shaw remains doubtful so Diogo Dalot will once again be entrusted to play as the left back. The Portuguese was impressive during international duty and has been among the better players at United this season. Noussair Mazraoui will occupy the right back position for Man Utd this weekend.
Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez have established themselves as Erik ten Hag’s go-to options in the heart of defence. Though the Dutch international failed to impress in the Nations League over the last couple of weeks, he could form a defensive pairing of two former Ajax Amsterdam stars by getting the nod ahead of Harry Maguire.
Manuel Ugarte needs time
Midfielders – Manuel Ugarte arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in the last few days of the transfer window and Ten Hag has revealed that the Uruguayan could take months to reach the desired level of fitness. Thus, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo will retain their places in the double pivot with Ugarte missing out.
Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes was on target for Portugal against Scotland in the Nations League and will look to transcend his form onto club level when he plays as United’s attacking midfielder. The captain should be flanked by Marcus Rashford on his left and Alejandro Garnacho on his right.
Forward – Joshua Zirkzee is expected to play as the solitary striker with Rasmus Hojlund still in the final stretch of his recovery from an injury suffered at the start of the season. The Dutchman will round off an unchanged team from the defeat to Liverpool a fortnight ago.
This is how United will look on paper:
