Manchester United will round off their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign with friendlies against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano on back-to-back days this weekend.
The Red Devils have now completed their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, playing four matches in total, beating Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace, in addition to drawing with Aston Villa.
Erik ten Hag's side now have their full focus on their Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 7, with the new head coach looking to make the perfect start to his time at the helm.
Here, Sports Mole predicts how the 20-time English champions could line up against Brighton, with the majority of their key players heavily involved in their preparations thus far.
The Red Devils have brought in Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen this summer, while a deal for Lisandro Martinez has been agreed, but there has still not been official confirmation over the Argentine's switch to Old Trafford.
Malacia has been heavily involved in Man United's preparation preparations, but it does appear that Luke Shaw will start the season as the first-choice left-back.
Eriksen is expected to train with the Red Devils on Tuesday, and there is every chance that he could make his unofficial debut against Atletico on Saturday, while the same can also be said for Martinez, who is expected to be involved in one of the two games, with an official announcement likely to arrive in the coming days.
It would be a huge surprise if either Eriksen or Martinez started against Brighton, though, while any other potential new signings between now and the start of the campaign might also have to wait for starts; a deal for Frenkie de Jong is in danger of collapsing, with Barcelona now seemingly open to keeping hold of the Dutchman if he accepts a pay cut, while Ajax have insisted that Antony is not for sale.
There is also the small matter of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is said to be travelling back to Manchester for talks with the club over his future. Even if Ronaldo stays, he has not been involved in the team's pre-season preparations, and Anthony Martial has thrived in his absence.
As a result, Martial, who has three goals in four games this summer, is set to lead the line with support from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, with the English pair also excellent on tour.
Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Scott McTominay are also likely to start against Brighton, while Ten Hag has given Dalot a lot of football during pre-season, suggesting that he will be the starter at right-back.
Ten Hag will need to assess the fitness of Raphael Varane, who has had injury problems on tour, but the head coach will hope that he can select the Frenchman alongside captain Harry Maguire in the middle, with David de Gea between the sticks for the 20-time English champions.
Despite the team's struggles last term, there is every chance that there will not be a single new signing in their XI for the clash with Brighton, but Malacia, Martinez and Eriksen could all work their way into the side in the coming weeks, while the fans will be hopeful that a couple more new faces will arrive to boost the squad. body check tags ::
