Manchester United host winless Leicester City in the Premier League on Thursday evening.
The Red Devils may be facing the only top-flight side with just a single point from their first four matches but they are in the midst of a dry spell against this particular opponent. Manchester United are winless in their last five meetings with Leicester, the club’s longest wait for a victory in this fixture since the mid-70s.
Here’s the lineup Erik ten Hag may deploy to restore the club’s winning touch against the Foxes.
GK: David De Gea – Against Southampton last weekend, De Gea kept his first clean sheet away from home in 2022.
RB: Diogo Dalot – The burly fullback is enjoying his best run in the Premier League since his arrival in Manchester, starting the last 11 top-flight matches.
CB: Raphael Varane – As a studious teenager, Varane hung up on Zinedine Zidane when he tried to sign him for Real Madrid because he was revising for university entrance exams. A decade later, he was more susceptible to the approach from the Manchester United hierarchy.
CB: Lisandro Martinez – Despite standing seven inches shorter, Martinez has a better aerial win rate than Virgil van Dijk this season.
LB: Tyrell Malacia – Before Ten Hag signed the punchy fullback this summer, Malacia had faced his current manager’s Ajax team five times with Feyenoord, losing on each occasion.
CM: Fred – The Brazil international has played alongside his compatriot Casemiro 21 times for the Selecao, winning 19 and losing just one – the 2021 Copa America final.
CM: Casemiro – During his 11-minute debut against Southampton last weekend, Casemiro managed to squeeze in two tackles, a tally only two teammates – both of whom spent the entire match on the pitch – could better.
AM: Bruno Fernandes – Aged just seven, Fernandes chose Boavista’s youth system over the more famed Porto academy because they provided transport via a minibus and neither of his parents could drive. Presumably, the decision-making process behind his move to Old Trafford was grounded in a little less practicality.
RW: Anthony Elanga – The lively Sweden international is the only Manchester United outfield player to have featured in every Premier League game in 2022.
ST: Marcus Rashford – The stand-in centre-forward in the potential absence of Anthony Martial has scored a career-high eight goals against Leicester.
LW: Jadon Sancho – The fleet-footed 22-year-old was the first player born in the new millennium to represent England’s men’s national team.
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