Hi everyone, I’m Paddy Keogh (@oddsonfpl). I am a massive Man United fan, and sometimes get some interesting pieces of information about Man United. Some of you may recognize my username as over the last year I have been sharing early leaked lineups for Man United. If you’re a United fan or interested in early team news I’d recommend you follow me on Twitter or on AttackingFootball so that you don’t miss out.
Last season there was clear progress for Man United, they finished second in the table comfortably and reached the Europa League final. Whilst there was no silverware the progress was visible for the young side. Fans will be looking for further progress this season after the signings of two genuinely world-class talents in Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, but it may take some time for both players to gel in the side after lacking a pre-season.
Before going further check out our FPL Individual Team Analysis series covering all premier league teams based on FPL, FPL Eye Test, and FPL position-wise player analysis
Man United FPL preview
Manchester United Pre-Season
Man United may not have had an ideal pre-season, but it was much better than last season’s. There have been a lot of late returns to the squad from the EURO’s with some players getting limited game time over the pre-season and new signings Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho receiving zero minutes combined over it.
Overall our star performer throughout the pre-season was Anthony Elanga who scored twice and showcased that he could be a capable deputy at Manchester United. In Man United’s final friendly they destroyed Everton 4-0, with a lot of the international footballers coming back into the side as well as first-team players. Due to the pandemic, the pre-season was based wholly in the UK, something which will mean that the players will have fewer media duties and be less jet-lagged. Something which has been a common occurrence over the last few years.
Man Utd’s pre-season friendlies
18 July v Derby (A) – WON 2-1 (Chong, Pellistri)
24 July v QPR (A) – LOST 4-2 (Lingard, Elanga)
28 July v Brentford (H) – DRAW 2-2 (Elanga, Pereira)
31 July v Preston (A) – ABANDONED
7 Aug v Everton (H) – WON 4-0 (Greenwood, Maguire, Fernandes, Dalot)
Injuries/Absences/Fitness issues
Man United come into this season with quite a few issues related to late returns from holiday and injuries. Starman Marcus Rashford has been ruled out until mid-October due to a shoulder injury. A number of players such as Jesse Lingard and Dean Henderson have also been ruled out due to covid.
Man United’s two latest recruits Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho didn’t play a minute of pre-season football, with Sancho given a longer break and Varane not being officially signed due to a lot of red tape.
Edinson Cavani solidified himself as the first choice striker last season after showcasing a talent we haven’t seen from a striker since Lukaku. An ability to head the ball. Unfortunately for United, he was granted dispensation to return from Uruguay, meaning he will not be included in the first fixture against Leeds.
Fixtures
Man United’s opening 7 fixtures are all games which you would expect for them to be more than capable of winning. This should be a stretch of time in which you should be targeting their assets. David de Gea is expected to start the season in goal due to Dean Henderson contracting covid-19. I haven’t been confident of us keeping a clean sheet whilst de Gea has been in goal for a long period of time.
Our first game against Leeds screams upset. Whilst Leeds haven’t beaten us since 2010, they did manage to keep us to a 0-0 draw last season away from home. At home, we beat them 6-2 in what was one of the most interesting and swashbuckling results of the season. Scott McTominay scored twice early on in the first fixture, whilst Bruno Fernandes also scored twice.
Our fixtures turn in gameweek 8 where we play against Leicester, Liverpool, Tottenham, Man City and Chelsea in 5 of the 6 games after what could be seen as a season-defining period.
Manchester United Formation and Tactics
Last season Man United played with the double pivot of McFred which a lot of our fanbase detested. There has been rumblings of us moving to a 4-3-3 since we have added real quality at the back in Raphael Varane. This would allow us to use both Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes as a pair of 8s, with the ability to attack and defend, whilst being covered by a dedicated defensive midfielder who had a progressive ball-playing ability. The wish had been to sign someone like Declan Rice who is more than capable of moving the ball forward. Fred whilst not a great passer screens efficiently and plays somewhat like N’Golo Kante does. I believe Scott McTominay has a lot of the key attributes which Declan Rice has and could develop into more of a defensive player instead of playing in his natural box to box role.
There are now a number of options defensively and offensively with squad depth being somewhat of an issue in the past. Now the drop off in each position isn’t as noticeable as it has been previously. Edinson Cavani proved himself last season as more than capable of being part of the side, but his age is catching up to him and he should only be expected to start at most 60% of the games. Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial can both provide rotation and competition for places up top.
A lot of fans lauded the idea of a 4-3-3 and the end of McFred, but I still fully expect that against the bigger sides Fred and Scott McTominay will play alongside one another to similar effects as previous. The pair are incredibly effective in screening and blocking opposition attacks. Whilst they both lack offensively they do offer a screen to the defence which limits the opposition offensively.
Analysing positions
Goalkeeper
Dean Henderson was Man United’s preferred goalkeeper going into the season with Man United willing to let David de Gea leave after the acquisition of Tom Heaton from Aston Villa. Tom Heaton was initially signed to play as second choice to Dean Henderson, whilst Lee Grant would have been the third-choice goalkeeper. Unfortunately for Man United two things happened. Firstly no club was interested in signing de Gea due to his monster salary of £375k per week. Secondly, Dean Henderson contracted covid-19, meaning he was ruled out for the season’s opening fixture.
There were rumours earlier in the window that Man United were unsure of their current goalkeeper situation, with neither Henderson or de Gea being seen as an elite goalkeeper by the club. The rumours linking Man United to Jan Oblak were not unfounded, and may still not be.
David de Gea will start the season in goal, and the once world-class goalkeeper will have a lot to prove early on. He can make the spot his own and there could be a redemption arc for him. There won’t be, but there also could be. I would be less inclined to heavily invest in Man United defensive assets with Dave in goal than previous.
Defence:
On paper a back four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, and Luke Shaw is mouth-watering. The problem is Varane’s deal has had a torrent of issues, ranging from VISA issues to covid regulations meaning he most likely won’t get his full debut in the game against Leeds. Lindelof is the most likely partner for the opening fixture and there is no guarantee that Varane will come straight into the side until after the international break. It is expected he will be brought into the side, but fitness could be a major benefactor for the Swede.
Luke Shaw and Wan Bissaka both offered a lot last season in terms of assists and goals and I think both will continue to do so. AWB’s progression was overshadowed by Shaw’s redemption, but it is known to those at the club how much he has impressed. A real right-wing option in front of him will also improve his output.
Harry Maguire should score more goals this season too, he’s a constant aerial threat and showed what he can do in the pre-season friendly against Everton. With more time to train this season and a new set-piece coach, we could see Maguire get into opportunities to score far more often than previous years.
Check out our: Best Premium Defenders(6.0 Mil+) To Target For The 2021/22 FPL Season and Best Mid-Priced Defenders(5 to 5.5 Mil) To Target For The 2021/2022 FPL Season, FPL Budget Defenders (£4.5) Analysis Ahead Of 2021/22 Seasonin case you haven’t already.
Here is a link to all our FPL Defenders and FPL position-wise player analysis blogs.
Midfield:
Bruno Fernandes once again will be one of the best midfielders to own in the game this season. We will get penalties, free kicks, shots from range. You all know what he can do by now. He had a pretty poor end of the season, but he is still one of the best assets in the game, and with Jadon Sancho now in the squad I expect him to be able to provide many more assists. At 12m he is expensive, but it’s really not worth the worry of not owning him.
Mason Greenwood is expected to start the season in the starting XI for Man United due to injuries and fitness concerns to the squad, with him even being touted to play out of position up top. After a disappointing season last season, he should come back with fire in his belly. With poor form and personal grievances last season impacting him, as well as some niggling injuries, Mason should light up the Premier League this season. He is a very very affordable £7.5m.
New signing Jadon Sancho comes into the game as a £9.5m midfielder who has proven capable of scoring and assisting for Dortmund over the last 2 seasons. Whilst it is clear he is a talented player, he has had no pre-season and Man United’s 2 previous signings from Dortmund have both struggled. I won’t advise you to bring him in early but he’s certainly at a price point that could become very interesting.
I am not going to recommend Paul Pogba. The French midfielder will stay for the final year of his contract but most likely won’t renew.
Further Read: Check out our FPL Premium Midfielders (£10 Mil+) Analysis For 2021/22 Season, FPL Budget Midfielders (£5 – £6.5Mil) Analysis For 2021/22 Season Mid-Priced FPL Midfielders (£7 – £9.5 Mil) Analysis and Comparison Ahead Of 2021/22 Season in case you haven’t already.
Here is also a link to all our FPL Midfielders and FPL position-wise player analysis blogs.
Forward:
Edinson Cavani is an interesting option for Man United. The big man from Uruguay came without much furore last season with many expecting a player who was past it, unfortunately for the naysayers, he proved them all wrong. The talismanic striker led from the front and was impressive in almost every performance in the Man United kit. Unfortunately from an FPL perspective, he is a bit of a non-option this season. He isn’t expected to play all of the games and has been given an extended break for a holiday. Not worth your time.
Anthony Martial came from France, the English press said he had no chance, and they still say as much. He had an awful season last season after having a blinder the year before. At 8m he is almost an interesting punt, the issue is that he has barely played football over the last few months. With the 45 minutes cameo against Everton being the most amount of time he has seen on the pitch in the last 5 months. Martial is expected to start the first 3 fixtures, but the team has yet to be decided and a lot can change.
Further Read: Making the Case to be an FPL Asset This Season ~ Edinson Cavani
Best Man United FPL Picks:
Harry Maguire
Bruno Fernandes
Luke Shaw
Punts:
Anthony Martial – 8m
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 5.5m
Leeds Preview:
Against Leeds I expect us to line up in a 4-3-3 with pacy wingers and a fast striker to exploit their high line. I don’t expect Jadon Sancho or Raphael Varane to start. With de Gea and Lindelof starting I don’t expect us to keep a clean sheet, I also don’t believe we’ll see a repeat of the 6-2, with Leeds being a little bit more cute than last season.
I expect Man United to win 2-1.
My predicted lineup for the game is as follows:
Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of the 2021/22 Season:
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Paddy
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