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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Casey Evans

Manchester United must be wary of three Burnley players in League Cup fixture

With the World Cup now over, club football is back in full swing for Manchester United.

Erik ten Hag spent the break preparing for the second half of the campaign, training with the members of the first-team squad who remained as well as some youngsters, and arranging two friendlies against Cadiz and Real Betis. United lost both fixtures.

United's first test will come against Vincent Kompany's Burnley in the League Cup at Old Trafford. The Clarets currently sit first in the Championship and are playing a good brand of football, so could prove a challenge for Ten Hag's men.

ALSO READ: Who was in United training ahead of Burnley fixture as Dalot absent

But who are the players that United need to be most wary of? Let's take a look at the three:

Taylor Harwood-Bellis

The 20-year-old Harwood-Bellis has caught the eye for Burnley this season. The defensive security he brings to the back line combined with his comfort on the ball mean he is a difficult defender to deal with.

As a Manchester City loanee, you can expect that the young centre-back will be motivated to get one over on his parent team's close rivals, so Anthony Martial will need to be on top form to beat him.

Manuel Benson

A new signing for Burnley this season, Benson has been a revelation for Kompany's side playing on the right wing. He has seven goals and three assists in the Championship this season.

It is still not clear who will be playing left-back for United against Burnley seeing as Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia were at the World Cup, but whoever does start in the full-back position will have to deal with the Belgian attacker.

Jay Rodriguez

Rodriguez needs no introduction. A thorn in United's side for many years, the 33-year-old will be hoping to add to his tally tonight.

Rodriguez has nine goals this season in 17 games and is in incredible form and this could cause problems for a weakened United defense which is highly unlikely to include either Raphael Varane or Lisandro Martinez due to their participation in th World Cup final.

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