Man Utd predicted line-up vs. Fulham: two key changes made £60m duo push for debuts
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Manchester United face Fulham at Old Trafford in the opening fixture of the 2024/25 Premier League season – and head coach Erik ten Hag has a number of selection headaches to work through before the curtain is raised.
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Hide AdThe biggest decisions facing the Dutchman will be in defence and attack with several first-team players out injured, while new signings Matthijs de Ligt and Nouassir Mazraoui, who arrived from Bayern Munich this week in a double deal worth up to £60m, only began training with their new team on Thursday.
We’ve brought together all of the team news below and offered up our predicted line-up ahead of Friday evening’s match – and if you’re looking for information ahead of the Fantasy Premier League deadline, you can also check out our resident expert’s regular advice column by clicking here.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Defensive injuries were a recurring theme during a difficult 2023/24 season, which saw Manchester United register their worst league finish in the Premier League era – and unfortunately for Ten Hag, there are several fitness problems to contend with this time around as well.
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Hide AdLeft-back Luke Shaw, who struggled for fitness for much of last season and missed the start of England’s Euro 2024 campaign, sustained a calf injury shortly after returning to training and is expected to be out for around a month. Brand new signing Leny Yoro, meanwhile, was ruled out for three months after the £52m centre-half thanks to a foot injury picked up at the end of July. Tyrell Malacia, who missed the entirety of last season with a serious knee injury, is yet to return to training and continues rehabilitation.
That could mean an immediate debut for De Ligt or Mazraoui despite the pair having limited time at Carrington – Lisandro Martínez covered at right-back for last weekend’s Community Shield defeat to Manchester City but could come back inside if Mazraoui plays while De Ligt could come in for Jonny Evans.
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The injury picture is much better in the midfield, at least, with a clean bill of health across the likely starters. That means that Casemiro, who had been expected to leave in the summer after a difficult second season in Salford, will likely partner Kobbie Mainoo in midfield as he did last Saturday.
Scott McTominay, meanwhile, has been the subject of transfer bids from Fulham but is unlikely to start as negotiations continue over a potential move to Napoli, while the visitors will likely hand a debut to former Arsenal man Emile Smith Rowe.
Forwards
Danish striker Rasmus Højlund will have a delayed start to his second season with the club courtesy of a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for around a month – and with summer signing Joshua Zirkzee expected to be eased into the starting eleven slowly, it is likely that Bruno Fernandes will start as a centre-forward once more.
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Hide AdTen Hag had experimented with playing Jadon Sancho as a striker during pre-season but seems to have settled on using the club captain as his number nine instead, which means that Mason Mount will have another chance to play in his preferred number ten role. Amad Diallo will push Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho for a starting berth.
Onana; Dalot, Maguire, De Ligt, Martínez; Casemiro, Mainoo, Mount; Rashford, Garnacho, Fernandes.
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