Manchester United begin their 2024/25 Premier League season on Friday when they welcome Fulham under the lights at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils will be aiming to start the new campaign more positively after a turbulent last year both on and off the pitch. They haven’t had the best preparations heading into the curtain-raiser event following last weekend’s FA Community Shield final defeat to Manchester City in a penalty shootout.
Nonetheless, the performance in the Community Shield defeat over the 90 minutes was good and Erik ten Hag will expect his boys to take that into the game against Fulham, who had shocked Man United 2-1 at Old Trafford last season.
Manchester United Team News
New signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui are both available for selection on Friday after they arrive from Bayern Munich, but a familiar defensive crisis looms ahead of Manchester United’s return to the Premier League.
Fellow recruit Leny Yoro will be sidelined for up to three months after undergoing surgery for a foot injury suffered during the US pre-season tour. Rasmus Hojlund will miss the opening games with a hamstring issue. Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia are also absent for the hosts.
Predicted Manchester United lineup vs Fulham (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
After a mixed debut campaign, Andre Onana will be expected to produce consistent performances in goal and help Man United win more games. He is an easy pick in between the sticks for Erik ten Hag.
Defence
Owing to a defensive crisis, Ten Hag appears to be open to handing new recruits De Ligt and Mazraoui their debuts against Fulham. De Ligt could slot in alongside Lisandro Martinez in central defence, with Mazraoui taking up the right-back spot. On the other side of the defence, with Shaw and Malacia unavailable, Diogo Dalot is the natural choice to start.
This potential Man United backline will have to be at their best to stop an exciting Fulham attack on home turf.
Midfield
Up ahead in midfield, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo will form the double pivot. They will be tasked with screening the defence whilst controlling the tempo of play from the first blow of the whistle.
Mason Mount, who had an underwhelming debut season largely due to injury problems, should get a chance to impress and cement his place in the first XI. He is expected to start in the No.10 role—his preferred position.
Attack
Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo are expected to start on the left and right flank, respectively. However, Alejandro Garnacho is pushing for a start after his impactful display off the bench against Man City in the Community Shield final.
As Hojlund is injured and summer signing Joshua Zirkzee lacks match fitness, skipper Bruno Fernandes is certain to operate as a false 9 against the Cottagers. Fresh from signing a new contract, the Portugal international will be raring to inspire his team to all three points and start the new campaign on a high note.
Zirkzee, Antony, Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Facundo Pellestri could get minutes off the bench on Friday.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
