Michael Carrick takes his first competitive Premier League game as permanent Manchester United manager on Saturday afternoon, and it’s a trip to the MKM Stadium to face newly promoted Hull City at 12.30 pm BST. Six players are ruled out. That’s not a quiet start.
Manchester United Predicted Lineup vs Hull City
Karl Darlow, Tom Heaton, Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko all miss out through injury, leaving Carrick with a thinned but still formidable squad to work with. Senne Lammens starts in goal by default.
Manchester United predicted lineup vs Hull City: 4-2-3-1
The back four picks itself more than Carrick would probably like. Diogo Dalot takes right-back, Luke Shaw the left. Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven partner in the centre. Lisandro Martinez hasn’t clocked enough pre-season minutes to force his way in, and Heaven’s composure across the summer tour earned him the nod.
The double pivot is where this team gets genuinely interesting. Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are both set to make their competitive debuts. Santos arrived from Chelsea for around £50 million and looked fluid in pre-season against Atletico Madrid, with Carrick publicly praising how he reads the game. Tielemans brings experience and range. Together, they are an untested pairing at the highest level, and Hull will fancy their chances if they press high in the first 20 minutes.
Bruno Fernandes captains the side from his number ten role. 21 Premier League assists last season, a personal record. Amad Diallo operates on the right of the attacking three, Patrick Dorgu on the left. Both are quick, direct and give United width they genuinely didn’t have two seasons ago.
Manchester United predicted lineup vs Hull City up front
Bryan Mbeumo should lead the line. The £71m signing from Brentford scored 12 times in 34 appearances in his debut season at Old Trafford last year, earning enough trust to be handed the centre-forward role with Sesko sidelined. It’s not his natural position, but Carrick doesn’t have much of a choice right now.
United beat Hull 1-0 on their last top-flight meeting, though that feels like a different era. Hull are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2016-17, with Oli McBurnie, 19 goals in the Championship last season, likely to test Maguire and Heaven early.
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Manchester United predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Senne Lammens; Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw; Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos; Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu; Bryan Mbeumo.
