Man Utd predicted XI to face Southampton including three big decisions for Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag has some welcome selection dilemmas ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Southampton on Saturday.

It couldn’t have been any different for the Dutchman after his first two games in charge, when a meek United side lost to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.

But they responded emphatically in the win over Liverpool on Monday, with several impressive displays meaning Ten Hag has some difficult choices to make ahead of the trip to St Mary’s.

Perhaps the most pressing is whether to start Casemiro following his transfer this week from Real Madrid. The midfielder, who it was confirmed on Friday will wear the No.18 jersey at his new club, was pictured training earlier this week and should be available to play.

Should he be selected in the side, Casemiro would likely replace Scott McTominay, who performed well against Liverpool.

The choice for Ten Hag will be whether to immediately incorporate a player who is evidently going to be part of his first-choice XI this season, or reward McTominay for his much-improved performance.

Another uncertainty is who will start up front, with Anthony Martial injured. The Frenchman came off the bench against Liverpool and created Marcus Rashford’s second-half strike.

But Ten Hag confirmed in Friday’s press conference that United’s No.9 will not be available on the south coast due to injury.

“Anthony Martial is not fit,” said the former Ajax boss. “He came out with a problem on his Achilles out of the [Liverpool] game, so we have to wait. I cannot tell a prognosis [on] how long it takes. Of course, I hope that he will be available for the next game.”

It means the Red Devils are left with a few centre-forward options and could start with Rashford, as they did against Liverpool, or reinstate Cristiano Ronaldo. An unlikely third choice is to play Christian Eriksen as a false nine.

The final selection headache for Ten Hag will be whether he should start with Lisandro Martinez again. The Argentine centre-back was targeted in the losses against Brighton and Brentford, with the centre-back finding it tough against physically imposing strikers.

Liverpool opted for a different approach on Monday, and Martinez thrived with the Merseysiders trying to create most of their scoring opportunities through dribbles and quick movement.

But with Che Adams in good form, it’s likely Southampton will favour a similar approach to that of Brighton and Brentford, meaning Ten Hag could be tempted to reintroduce Harry Maguire into the side.

It’s also worth considering the Red Devils have a busy fixture schedule at present, with midweek matches spaced over the next three weeks, meaning they could already be thinking about squad rotation.

How will United line-up?

It’s difficult to predict how the Red Devils will approach Saturday’s game, but it’s likely they’ll select a similar line-up to Monday night, which should see Martinez and McTominay start, with Rashford up top again.

The latter decision would probably see Anthony Elanga start, despite him being withdrawn at half-time against Liverpool.

David de Gea is expected to start in nets this weekend despite speculation this week that United are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper.

Martinez will likely partner Raphael Varane at the heart of defence, with Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia making up the back four.

Assuming McTominay retains his place, he could join Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes in the centre of the park.

In attack, a front three of Jadon Sancho, Rashford and Anthony Elanga seems the most likely option.

Manchester United predicted XI: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; McTominay, Eriksen, Fernandes; Sancho, Rashford, Elanga.