Manchester United begin their Premier League campaign away to newly-promoted Hull City this afternoon. Summer transfer business at Old Trafford is not done yet, with the club working on getting a deal for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba over the line.
Midfield reshuffle and injury updates
Michael Carrick has refreshed his midfield options with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans arriving from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively. Santos featured heavily in pre-season, with Tielemans joining up three weeks ago.
Kobbie Mainoo only returned to training at the start of last week following his summer break, having also picked up an injury at the end of England’s World Cup campaign – where he didn’t see a minute of action. Should Mainoo still be working towards full fitness, the new partnership of Tielemans and Santos could anchor the midfield at the MKM Stadium.
Mason Mount started in central midfield on the final day of last season and impressed again in that role during pre-season. But an injury has again derailed his prospects, with a minor hamstring tear sidelining him.
Forward line and defensive options
Benjamin Sesko is another who endured a frustrating pre-season, not playing a single game as he continued his recovery from a shin injury suffered back in May. The Slovenia international has returned to training and is ‘close to getting some minutes’ according to Carrick, suggesting he is not going to start this afternoon.
Matthijs de Ligt is also back in training, but his return would appear to still be some way off. The Netherlands international has not played since November last year, undergoing back surgery in May. Manuel Ugarte is a long-term absentee as he recovers from the ACL injury he suffered at the World Cup with Uruguay.
While Matheus Cunha can also play there, Bryan Mbeumo would appear to be the most likely candidate to lead United’s attack today. The Cameroon international looked very sharp in pre-season and regularly played through the middle under Carrick last season as Sesko settled into a super-sub role.
Bench options and how to watch
Marcus Rashford is another with not much of a pre-season under his belt, playing his first minutes off the bench against AC Milan last weekend. He may settle for a role off the bench today. The fit-again Patrick Dorgu is also an option on the left.
Ayden Heaven was the only centre-half to start all six of United’s pre-season games, with Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro also featuring prominently.
You can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with streaming also available through the HBO Max app. You can also follow all the action with Metro’s LIVE matchday blog.
