Anthony Martial and Victor Lindelof were missing from Manchester United’s training video ahead of Monday’s clash against Liverpool - while a new midfield pair may be trialled against the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp’s side will travel to Old Trafford early next week to renew an old rivalry with both sides looking for their first win of the season. The Red Devils have lost both their opening games - against Brighton and Brentford - and sit bottom of the table with zero points.
The welcoming of Liverpool - who hit five goals in 50 minutes in the same fixture last season - is far from ideal for Erik Ten Hag, and the club’s pre-match training video has hinted that the Red Devils boss could once again be without some key players, but could experiment with a new midfield.
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David De Gea was not pictured in the video after his tetchy display during the 4-0 defeat at Brentford - although, with goalkeepers usually training alone, there is no indication of an injury. First-team pair Martial and Lindelof were also missing and are likely unavailable for Monday.
The two players have both been absent for Manchester United’s opening two fixtures and are huge doubts for Monday’s game at Old Trafford. French striker Anthony Martial had a promising pre-season - scoring in the 4-0 win against Liverpool - but his injury leaves Ten Hag with only Cristiano Ronaldo as a recognised striker.
Meanwhile, the video showed midfield pair Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek working in tandem during a pressing exercise. Ten Hag is yet to figure out his most favourable pair in midfield and even experimented with Christian Eriksen in a deep-lying midfield role last weekend, and with wholesale changes expected on Monday this untested double-pivot could start the match.
That pressing exercise gives Reds fans an idea of what Ten Hag is focusing his time on at Carrington this week, with the Red Devils boss keen to implement his coordinated pressing style. Manchester United were bereft of that energy in Saturday’s defeat at Brentford, and the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez were filmed being tasked with bringing Ten Hag’s pressing game to life.
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