Manchester United v Wolves: live stream, TV details, how to watch, injury news and predicted line-up

Manchester United’s first game of 2022 sees them host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Monday 3 January, 5:30 pm kick-off.

The Red Devils ended 2021 on a positive note by beating Burnley 3-1, and will be aiming to continue that winning run against Bruno Lage’s men.

United were much improved on Thursday following their porous showing against Newcastle United three days prior, where Ralf Rangnick’s men were fortunate to come away with a 1-1 draw.

United approach the next round of fixtures in sixth place, four points behind fourth-place Arsenal, although they do have a game in hand on the Gunners.

As for Wolves, their last two games have been postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak, and the Midlands club were last in action on 19 December, meaning they won’t have played in 15  days by the time they travel to Old Trafford.

After an indifferent start to the season, Wolves have impressed in recent weeks and sit eighth in the table after the latest round of fixtures.

Their games have been notoriously low-scoring this term and only Manchester City have conceded fewer league goals in 2021/22, while Norwich City are the only side Wolves have outscored so far.

When the teams met earlier this term it was just the one goal that settled proceedings, with Mason Greenwood netting in August’s 1-0 win at Molineux.

What’s the latest team news?

Rangnick made six changes to his side on Thursday, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Eric Bailly, Luke Shaw, Nemanja Matic, Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani coming into the side.

With so many fixtures over this period, the German could opt to once again rotate his squad for the clash against Wolves.

In nets, David De Gea is one of the few certainties, with the Spaniard enjoying a fine season so far.

Ahead of him, Victor Lindelof could be available again after a recent bout of Covid-19. Rangnick said in his post-Burnley press conference that the Swede would need to register a negative result in order to be available.

Meanwhile, Bailly is expected to meet up with the Ivory Coast squad after returning to face Burnley, but Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane are options for the Red Devils.

At full-back, the United manager will have to decide whether to stick with Wan-Bissaka and Shaw, or revert to Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles, who have played in the majority of league games since Rangnick’s appointment.

In midfield, Fred could return alongside Scott McTominay, although Nemanja Matic is an option after a solid display against Burnley.

Bruno Fernandes missed the final game of 2021 through suspension but is available again. Sancho and Greenwood started in the offensive areas on Thursday and United looked much improved due to their width and movement, so Fernandes is not a guarantee to return to the line-up, while Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek are also options.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani impressed up front against Burnley and could lead the line again when Wolves come to Old Trafford, although, with a combined age of 70, Rangnick may opt to rotate the pair in order to keep them fresh.

As for Wolves, it’s unclear who will be available after the Covid outbreak at the club, with an official statement saying six players had tested positive.

Rayan Ait-Nouri missed the last two games though injury and could be available for the trip to Manchester.

Predicted line-up

Manchester United (4-2-2-2): De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Varane, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Greenwood, Sancho; Cavani, Ronaldo.

Is the match on TV?

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, with the pre-match show beginning at 5pm. As always, the match can also be streamed via the Sky Go app.

How can I watch highlights?

The best bits can be viewed on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel, while both United and Wolves’ websites will bring two-minute highlights two hours after the game’s conclusion. Match of the Day will not be shown on Monday with this the only game played that day.