Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag spoke at his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon and he confirmed that Anthony Martial and Victor Lindelof are the only players in his squad who are currently unavailable through injury.
That means Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane are considered fit and ready to play. Ten Hag named both of those players on the bench against Brighton last weekend and it was Ronaldo's omission that obviously made headlines. The forward has expressed his desire to leave the club and Ten Hag chose to play with a false nine after outlining his concerns about Ronaldo's fitness.
Although Ronaldo eventually made an appearance from the bench in the second half, he was unable to score an equaliser which would have prevented the embarrassment of an opening-day defeat against Brighton at Old Trafford. Ronaldo often delivered when his side needed him most last season but this was beyond his capabilities. Brighton defended well and deserved the win.
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Brighton won 2-1 and they would have felt aggrieved if United had scored an equaliser. That's because they were unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when they were two goals ahead, with Lisandro Martinez fouling Danny Welbeck.
Ten Hag was keen to sign Martinez from Ajax this summer and the transfer fee he commanded suggested he was brought to Manchester to start. Martinez indeed started on the opening day and he lined up alongside Harry Maguire in central defence.
Maguire played on the right side of the defence during pre-season and that suggested Ten Hag was preparing him to play alongside the left-footed Martinez. That suddenly leaves Varane slipping down the pecking order at the club.
Varane is world-class when fit, but his injury concerns have become a problem. Varane was sidelined for a third of United's matches last term and that perhaps explains why Ten Hag wanted Martinez. Ten Hag knows he can't rely on Varane to be fit.
The Frenchman, smartly dressed wearing a Hugo Boss suit, was unveiled at Old Trafford before the Reds played Leeds on the opening day of last season and he personified class. Varane's record speaks for itself and his arrival was genuinely exciting.
However, just one year later and he was named on the bench against Brighton. That decision could be explained by a lack of fitness, as Varane missed United's pre-season matches against Liverpool and Crystal Palace with a knock and he played just 170 minutes in pre-season, but it might also hint at what Ten Hag thinks about Varane, although the truth should soon become clear.
Varane has now had the benefit of a full week of training and there can be no doubts about his fitness. He is currently healthy and injury free and that means Ten Hag will have to pick between him, Martinez and Maguire to start against Brentford.
Maguire is club captain and Ten Hag praised him in the summer, so his position in the starting line up seems safe for now and that leaves Varane and Martinez contending for the final space. It will be fascinating to see who Ten Hag selects to start.
If Ten Hag starts Maguire and Martinez again, that might reveal his verdict about Varane, especially considering Varane's aerial qualities. Those qualities may well be needed against one of the tallest teams in the Premier League, spearheaded by the physical Ivan Toeny.
The 29-year-old Varane is United's best defender when healthy, but perhaps Ten Hag has arrived at a different conclusion, which could see him on the bench again.
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