Erik ten Hag has to rack his brains

DBasia.news – Erik ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, still has a few more days to prepare his team ahead of the inaugural match of the 2022/2023 Premier League. Reportedly, there are 11 players whose fate are still in question.

MU will play two test matches in two consecutive days, namely Saturday (30/7/2022) and Sunday (31/7/2022), against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.

The match against Atletico Madrid is expected to be a rehearsal for the Premier League opener against Brighton. The duel against Rayo Vallecano will be an opportunity for marginalized players to attract Ten Hag’s attention and enter the starting XI.

Both matches will give a clear picture of the MU squad heading into the new season. The starting line-up for these two matches will show who is at the top of the MU squad hierarchy, and who has to work hard to earn Erik ten Hag’s trust.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Thursday (28/7/2022), here are some players whose fate are still in question at MU.

The player whose fate is still at the top of the list is Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese player wants to leave, but United are still trying to persuade him to stay.

There has been no meeting point between Ronaldo and Manchester United, although the player has discussed it  with Erik ten Hag.

In defence, United would likely be happy to let go of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Alex Telles in the summer of 2022, but still use them bothof them in pre-season.

The transfer of Lisandro Lopes will have a lasting effect on the trio of centre-backs Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe. The third position will be marginalized and can leave if there is an attractive offer that comes in.

Then there are marginalized players who could break into the first team next season but might be better off on loan again for more meaningful game time.

James Garner did well at Nottingham Forest last season but is still the umpteenth choice at Old Trafford and may be more suited to a loan spell.

Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri are still raw to polish and tackle United’s right-wing problems in the future. However, at this time their game has not reached a high standard, and it is better to go on loan first.

Tahith Chong faced a similar situation. He has entered the final year of his contract and should be sold if the payoff is right.

Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal have both shone when given the chance on a pre-season tour but may struggle to obtain game time this season and may be better off leaving on temporary contracts.