The extended Premier League break arguably came at the wrong time for Manchester United and boss Erik ten Hag.
It’s been almost a month since the Red Devils last played in the league, with games against Crystal Palace and Leeds postponed before the latest batch of international fixtures. That hiatus came amid a run of form which had shown United had turned the corner under the new coach.
The win over Arsenal on September 4 was their last run out and that performance offered a tantalising glimpse of what the Ten Hag United can look like. But while the four week break has halted some momentum, it has given time for a few players to get back to full fitness.
And United will need all of their big guns fit and firing for Sunday’s clash away at the champions Manchester City. But how will Ten Hag line up when Erling Haaland and Co. come to town? Mirror Football takes a look.
Goalkeeper and defence
With David De Gea out of favour with Spain, the United keeper has been able to rest and recuperate during the enforced break. He will need to be on his best form to keep out City and will be relying on his defenders to do a lot of the work.
With Harry Maguire suffering an injury whilst on international duty, there is no debate required over the centre-back pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. It’s likely the two would have started anyway, but Maguire’s injury means that is now a foregone conclusion.
Diogo Dalot will retain his berth at right back and comes into the game after scoring two in the thrashing of Czech Republic. On the opposite side Ten Hag has one of his biggest dilemmas, with Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw both vying to start.
The two left backs both performed well for their respective nations, with Malacia utilised as a central defender by Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal. He will likely get the nod, but Shaw is breathing down his neck after starring for England vs Germany.
Midfield
Ten Hag has numerous options in the middle of the park and they all impressed on international duty. Christian Eriksen and Scott McToninay started against the Gunners last time out, but United could shuffle the pack vs City.
Casemiro is yet to start in the Premier League but with Kevin De Bruyne on the opposite side, now feels the perfect time to throw the Real Madrid legend into the starting lineup. When United do have the ball, they will need to use it wisely, meaning Eriksen could be vital.
Bruno Fernandes will start in the 10 and will have the burden of creating chances against Pep Guardiola’s all conquering side.
Forwards
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford have both had some recovery time after impressing in the early weeks of the season. Sancho was a surprise omission from the latest England squad and will need to perform to secure his plane ticket to Qatar.
Likewise Rashford will need a good run of form and he looks set to win his fitness battle having suffered an injury against Arsenal. He should get the nod over Cristiano Ronaldo, who continues to struggle for form.
The 37-year-old will have been hoping to leave behind his struggles at club level when he joined up with Portugal, but put in two more poor showings, There is increasing pressure on Fernando Santos to drop their highest ever scorer, that appears unlikely, but with United his remit is now as a super-sub,.
Antony will start on the right having scored on his first Premier League appearance last time out.
Man Utd predicted XI vs Man City: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Eriksen, Casemiro, Fernandes; Antony, Rashford, Sancho.
