The new Premier League season gets underway this week with a Friday night curtain-raiser as Manchester United entertains Fulham at Old Trafford.
Predicted XIs:
Manchester United (4-3-3): Onana; Shaw, Martinez, Maguire, Dalot; Mainoo, Casemiro, Garnacho; Rashford, Fernandes, Diallo.
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Robinson, Bassey, Diop, Castagne; Smith Rowe, Lukic; Wilson, Pereira, Iwobi; Rodrigo.
Erik ten Hag guided United to FA Cup glory last season, but a better showing in the league and a return to the top four will be expected this year. Meanwhile, the visitors will be hoping they can repeat last season’s result at this ground, having left Manchester with a 2-1 win in February.
Manchester United vs Fulham kicks off at 20.00 BST on Friday August 16th and will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra HD in the UK.
Manchester United vs Fulham Team News
United were in action last weekend as they faced Manchester City in the Community Shield and came through that game unscathed.
Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof did not feature against the Cityzens but could be available on Friday, although Rasmus Hojlund faces about a month on the sidelines after sustaining an injury during pre-season.
The hosts will also be without their £52 million summer signing Leny Yoro, who is expected to miss the first three months of the season following surgery.
Fulham have no reported injury concerns and could hand a debut to their marquee summer signing, with Emile Smith Rowe likely to start after joining from Arsenal.
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Ten Hag hints at further arrivals
United have been active in the summer transfer market, acquiring Joshua Zirkzee from Atalanta and Amad Diallo from Lille, but they still have a few selection issues. Last weekend at Wembley, they were unable to name any defenders among their substitutes.
Further arrivals are likely, with Bayern Munich duo Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui expected to join the club in the coming days. A host of other players continue to be linked with the club.
Ten Hag remains relaxed about the situation and appears to indicate that more signings are on the cards, although he insists he has confidence his current squad can deliver regardless.
“When we have some [transfer] news, we will announce it,” said Ten Hag, via The Guardian. “Until that point, we will work with the squad that is available.”