Manchester United had a productive summer transfer window, spending £214 million on six players.
The purchases of Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Antony have grabbed attention, but Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen are equally good signings for the club.
Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will also have a big part to play after his loan move from Newcastle United. He should provide good competition for David de Gea.
Let’s have a look at United’s strongest XI after their best-ever spending spree.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Strongest XI:
David de Gea had a poor start to the Premier League season with a couple of goalkeeping blunders, but has redeemed himself over the past three games. The Spaniard made a superb save to deny Leicester City’s James Maddison in midweek. He is a clear first-choice at the moment, and it may not change soon.
Erik ten Hag appears to have found the right defensive combination and it took him only three games. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez look solid as the central defensive pairing. Varane has been particularly strong in winning aerial duels while Martinez has tackled and cleared his lines superbly.
Diogo Dalot has repaid Ten Hag’s faith with an impressive run of form. He delivered a peach of a cross for Bruno Fernandes’ winner at Southampton before making a crucial clearance off the line. In midweek, he won five tackles and seven duels. He is quite clearly the first-choice right-back.
The same can be said for Tyrell Malacia on the opposite end. Luke Shaw started at left-back this term, but Malacia was introduced midway through the 4-0 humbling at Brentford. The Dutchman has since excelled with strong defensive displays, but has room for improvement going forward.
In the centre of the park, we anticipate big changes going forward. Casemiro has been a substitute in his first two outings for the club, but should be a guaranteed starter in the defensive midfield role in future.
Ten Hag has been playing with two creative midfielders in Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes, but this could be reduced to one. We expect Fred to accompany Casemiro at the heart of the midfield.
Fred and Casemiro have a brilliant understanding as a pair for Brazil. The former has had the license to push forward with Casemiro’s assurance, and we could see something similar under Ten Hag.
Further forward, Fernandes gets our nod for the number 10 role as he is an impact player. The Portuguese can be frustrating in some games, but has the knack for making regular goal contributions.
Antony and Jadon Sancho will most certainly be starters on the right and left wing respectively. It is a toss between Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to lead the line, and the former gets our nod.
Martial had a terrific pre-season with three goals and made an instant impact coming off the bench against Liverpool with a match-winning assist. If he stays injury-free, he should be starting up front.
We saw Cristiano Ronaldo make a solid impression off the bench in midweek. That could be the 37-year-old’s role this term unless Martial and Rashford are unavailable for selection or rested.
Here is Man Utd’s strongest possible XI after summer spending spree
Stats from SofaScore.com and Transfermarkt.com
