With the new manager now in place, we’ve decided to draw up how the Man United XI could look under Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag is in the building. The Dutchman conducted his first official interview just yesterday, with preparation for the 2022/23 season now well underway.
The Old Trafford side will look very different in a few months. Paul Pogba leads an all-star cast of players departing on free transfers, while others will be sold to make room for new signings.
Ten Hag was in attendance on the Premier League’s final day. No doubt he was left extremely unimpressed with the football that was served up. The new United boss will expect that to change over the next twelve months.
Ahead of what is a huge summer window for the 20-time Premier League champions, we’ve decided to draw up a United side based purely on players currently at the club. With United looking so thin on the ground in terms of numbers, the squad pretty much picks itself in some areas…
First and foremost, let’s start with the formation. The 4-3-3 feels like the go-to system for most modern-day managers and with United’s current options, this is likely to be the initial tactic Ten Hag opts for.
Check out our Man United XI under Ten Hag in full here:
In goal, David de Gea will likely keep his place. Personally, I’d opt for Dean Henderson due to his distribution ability, but I’d be surprised if that change happens from day one.
Diogo Dalot is the only choice at right-back, given Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been told he’s not in Ten Hag’s plans. Over on the left, Luke Shaw should be the first choice. Simply put, Alex Telles isn’t good enough. It’s an unpopular opinion but I expect Harry Maguire to bounce back under Ten Hag. He’ll partner Raphael Varane.
The midfield trio has a familiar look. Scott McTominay starts at the base, bringing energy, fight and desire to the table. Fred’s mobility has always been key and he was arguably United’s most improved player in 2021/22. Obviously, Bruno Fernandes starts when fit.
Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to stay at the club and he will lead the line. Whether he fits into Ten Hag’s plans in the long-term remains to be seen as he’s hardly going to press from the front. Jadon Sancho was a bright spark of our season. He will play whenever fit this time around. Marcus Rashford is another who will be looking to rediscover his best form under new management.
It goes without saying, United will sign players. This is very unlikely to be how we look following the transfer window, but for now, this is just about our best XI – in our opinion anyway!
Would you make any changes to this Man United XI using only players currently at the club? Let us know in the comment box below.
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Rashford is not in our strongest team, – as he has not been great the last 18 months. It seems like he has lost focus on the football. He does not even try to win the ball, and when he got the ball he just runs straight at the defenders and lose it again… Anyone could do a better job than him at the moment. Hopefully he can get his head right for the next campaign.