Manchester United pulled off an epic win on Sunday, beating arch-rivals Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield to reduce the gap on the Premier League top four.
The football betting odds ahead of the game had Liverpool as comfortable favourites for the oddsmakers, given United’s inability to win at Anfield over the last decade and their poor league finish last season.
The odds had also been skewed slightly by the big margin of recent defeats, although Liverpool’s poor recent form had some punters hopeful of an upset.
According to Opta, Ruben Amorim became only the third manager, after Manuel Pellegrini and Antonio Conte, to win his first two Premier League away games against reigning champions.
The 40-year-old’s squad selection was spot-on last weekend, as we look at Man Utd’s ideal starting XI so far this season.
Best Man Utd XI in 2025/26 so far
After the Andre Onana fiasco, Man Utd had to thread carefully in their search for a new goalkeeper.
Despite his undeniable talent, Senne Lammens seemed like an odd choice, given his lack of experience in Europe’s traditional top-five leagues.
However, after impressing on his debut against Sunderland, the 23-year-old proved his quality on the grandest stage with an exceptional performance against Liverpool.
Therefore, he’s an easy pick in goal ahead of Altay Bayindir.
Despite admitting his winning goal for the Red Devils could be his last appearance for the club at Anfield (via The Sun), Maguire earned his spot in this line-up.
After several underwhelming seasons, the English centre-back has hit the ground running under Amorim, with his peak performance coming at Liverpool last weekend.
Maguire led by example, but Matthijs de Ligt’s rock-solid display didn’t go unnoticed.
The Dutchman fared well at the back, especially against Alexander Isak, continuing a rich vein of form in the early stages of the 2025/26 season.
Although Amorim sticks with Luke Shaw as his regular starter on the left side of Man Utd’s back three, we’d rather go with Leny Yoro, given the former’s notorious proneness to cheap errors.
With Bruno Fernandes immovable in the middle of the park, despite several erratic showings, including the one against Brentford, there’s one open slot in the double pivot.
Casemiro would naturally fill the vacancy, and it’s hard to pick anyone else, particularly after both Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte have failed to impress in recent games.
Amad Diallo has nailed down the starting berth as his own, becoming a focal point of United’s attacks on the right wing.
Indeed, the Ivorian star has already found on-field understanding with marquee summer signing Bryan Mbeumo, as evidenced by Man Utd’s opening goal at Anfield.
Diogo Dalot has done reasonably well on the opposite wing, yet his shortcomings on both ends of the pitch have made us believe Patrick Dorgu would be a better fit for the role.
The 20-year-old boast far more impressive physical qualities than Dalot and can offer much more than his Portuguese counterpart moving forward.
However, Dorgu must improve his consistency and decision-making to leapfrog the former AC Milan loanee in the pecking order.
Moving higher up the pitch, Mbeumo has been nothing short of remarkable since swapping Brentford for the Theatre of Dreams in the summer, even though the numbers may suggest otherwise.
The Cameroonian winger has scored twice in his first eight league appearances for Man Utd. However, his impact has been significant, leaving us with no choice but to include him in our ideal starting XI.
Some may disagree, but this applies to Matheus Cunha, who is still waiting for his first goal in the Red Devils shirt.
Despite his barren run, the Brazilian forward boasts superior technical skills that allow him to stretch defences and contribute to United’s attacking dynamics beyond just goals.
With Cunha starting ahead of Mason Mount in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 set-up, Benjamin Sesko has emerged as the new leader of Man Utd’s frontline.
Sesko has been in and out of the starting line-up this season, but there’s no doubt he possesses the physique and quality to become the No.9 the Red Devils have been desperate for over the past few years.
(3-4-2-1): Lammens; Yoro, Maguire, De Ligt; Dorgu, Fernandes, Casemiro, Diallo; Cunha, Mbeumo; Sesko.
