Losing 3-0 to Liverpool at Old Trafford before the international break was a deflating defeat considering how excited fans were for this season coming into the campaign.
This result followed the 2-1 defeat to Brighton which leaves Manchester United now sitting 14th in the table with a goal difference of -3 already.
But now heading into game week four, nothing but a win will suffice as United look to recover and begin re-establishing Champions League qualification ambitions.
So here is how we think Erik ten Hag’s line-up will look to do that against Southampton.
How Manchester United could line-up against Southampton
The international break is over and so now the Premier League returns and for Ten Hag it comes with positive team news.
Having such bad injury luck over the past year, the United manager will be delighted to not have any new concerns, and also that Manuel Ugarte is available for selection.
Ten Hag confirmed Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund are both still out, with Leny Yoro and Tyrell Malacia also still out. Here is how we predict United to line up against Southampton.
Andre Onana
In goal, there is little doubt that it will be Andre Onana who starts, despite Paul Scholes’ criticisms over the last few days. The Cameroonian enjoyed the international break with a great reception from United fans in Uganda but now needs to put in a better display than we have seen in the past two games.
Noussair Mazraoui
Moving into the defence, Noussair Mazraoui will be fresh for this Saturday after being rested by Morocco for their second international fixture. United’s No.3 Mazraoui was excellent in their 4-1 win earlier in the break and will hope to continue in this vein on Saturday.
Matthijs de Ligt
Starting as the right centre-back should be Matthijs de Ligt who is coming off a horrific international break with Holland. He will hope for a better second start than his first in which De Ligt was poor, despite the midfield hanging him out to dry.
Lisandro Martinez
Starting alongside De Ligt will be Lisandro Martinez, but like his centre-back partner, he needs to do better. Martinez is among the world’s best when he is in form and he just needs to get back to this, we expect he will.
Diogo Dalot
Completing the back four will be Diogo Dalot, with no natural senior left-back available yet. Dalot has the most ball wins in the league so far this season, continuing his stellar form from the 2023/24 season.
Manuel Ugarte
The man everyone wants to see in action is Manuel Ugarte and according to Erik ten Hag, he will be in contention this weekend. After impressing for Uruguay, Ugarte could be a really impactful addition to this team so we expect he will be thrown straight in.
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo appeared for England over the international break but was rested against Finland so he should be ready to go here. Mainoo will be delighted to have Ugarte in the team next to him to ease the defensive requirements on him.
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes was yet another United player who shone brightly during the international break for Portugal, however, he has been rather underwhelming for United this season so far, so hopefully this can act as a catalyst.
Amad Diallo
Ten Hag rather harshly dropped Amad Diallo for the game against Liverpool, but Amad’s cameo was better than any of his teammates’ displays, so we imagine he will be thrust back into the starting line-up here against Southampton.
Joshua Zirkzee
The final player to enjoy a successful international break was Joshua Zirkzee, as the Manchester United No.11 scored for Holland. He will hope to add to his one goal this season here and make a real statement ahead of Hojlund’s return.
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