Key man, 'big talent', predicted line up - The Sunderland verdict ahead of huge Manchester United fixture

Manchester United need an improved performance when they host Sunderland in the Premier League this weekend. Ruben Amorim's side have lost half of their matches in the league so far this season after they were defeated 3-1 by Brentford last time out.

United have typically been at their best under Amorim against newly-promoted teams, but will come up against a Sunderland side that have already taken 11 points from their opening six matches of the campaign. The Black Cats are also unbeaten across their last four matches and achieved an impressive away win over Nottingham Forest last weekend.

It looks set to be a fascinating encounter that could have a say on Amorim's future at the club, and ahead of the match, we caught up with Sunderland Echo writer Phil Smith to get the lowdown on the opposition.

What has been the key to Sunderland's excellent start to the Premier League season?

A strong summer of recruitment and a tactical flexibility. Sunderland's model is to invest in young players and they've continued to do that this summer, but they also invested in experience and physicality through the spine of the team. Unlike the last couple of seasons, this year's promoted teams have realised that you need to be strong defensively first and foremost and all have enjoyed some early success as a result. Sunderland defend well and have a team that is prepared that is prepared to get through a lot of running. They're also a big threat from set pieces. So far, it has proved an effective formula.

How confident will Sunderland be of piling more misery onto United this weekend?

There's probably a little bit of a mix of emotions. There's definitely a sense that it is a good time to play Manchester United and that Sunderland have a chance of taking something from the game, though there is still obviously a massive amount of quality within the United side and especially on home turf, they are clearly going to start favourites. It's another big step up for this Sunderland side heading to Old Trafford and so there'll be confidence but certainly no complacency.

Who are the players that will hold the key to a positive result?

As mentioned, Sunderland have a defence that is performing very well. Centre back's Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete have been superb in defending their box and causing havoc from set pieces, while goalkeeper Robin Roefs is emerging as one of the best bargains of the summer transfer window across the division. Clearly, it's hard to look past Granit Xhaka. Not just for his quality in possession and the chances he creates with his passing, but also for his leadership and nous in dealing with opposition threats. That's the platform from which Sunderland have succeeded so far this season. They then have that bit of quality and a lot of pace on the break through Enzo Le Fée and Wilson Isidor.

How is Chris Rigg performing? He has long been of interest to United and could be on their radar again next year.

It's still early days for him really, as an injury in pre-season meant that he missed a lot of training and needed a bit longer to get up to speed. He's started the last two games and looked comfortable at the level, which is a promising start. I expect he'll play again on Saturday and from a Sunderland perspective, the big summer news was that he agreed a new long-term contract until 2030. At the moment his focus is on holding down a place in the Sunderland starting XI and the club are now in a position where only a huge, huge fee next summer would tempt them to consider a sale. He's a big talent, comfortable technically but with a physicality and competitiveness you don't always see in players of his age. He'll go far, for sure.

Predicted XI

With former Atletico Madrid defender Reinildo still suspended, Arthur Masuaku made his first league start at left back against Nottingham Forest. The feeling is that he did well enough to keep his place, but bringing in either Dan Ballard or Lutsharel Geertruida is an option. Any further changes would be something of a surprise given the team's strong recent form.

Sunderland predicted XI vs United: Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Alderete, Masuaku; Xhaka, Rigg, Sadiki; Le Fee, Talbi, Isidor

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