da prosport bet： Manchester United have not made the most successful of starts to the Premier League season, but Erik ten Hag will now hope to use the last-gasp turnaround against Brentford before the international break as a landmark in the club's season.
da luck： Having spent considerably over the summer, United recruited with sights set on building upon last season's third-place league finish and triumph in the Carabao Cup.
But inconsistency and various issues have compounded a lack of fluidity that has left the Old Trafford side in tenth place after eight matches, also bottom of their Champions League group after defeats in both games so far.
However, Scott McTominay's stunning brace from the bench against Thomas Frank's resilient Bees two weeks ago harnessed the fabled 'Fergie Time' aura that will linger perpetually at the Theatre of Dreams, no matter the form of the home side.
It does now mean that Manchester United have the chance to clinch their third Premier League win from four outings against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Clinching three points is the absolute minimum, and despite a spate of injury issues in defence, Ten Hag will be certain of his side's ability to get the job done.
What's the Manchester United team news?
Casemiro has been ruled out of contention having picked up a minor issue on international duty with Brazil, though Ten Hag stated that he is "confident" of the midfielder's availability going forward.
It's something of a mixed bag, as far as the rest of the team is concerned, with Raphael Varane and Sergio Reguilon both training this week following injuries; Sofyan Amrabat is also available despite missing both of Morocco's recent matches.
The Red Devils have been hindered by a deluge of defensive setbacks this season, and while Ten Hag is emboldened by greater options today, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Lisandro Martinez remain sidelined.
Amrabat, who signed on a loan worth £8.5m from Serie A side Fiorentina on deadline day in August – with an option to sign on a permanent deal next summer for £21m – has started the past two matches in the Premier League, but Ten Hag must now consider whether starting him in favour of another midfield machine would be the best move today.
How is Sofyan Amrabat performing at Manchester United?
Manchester United's pursuit of Moroccan machine Amrabat was well-documented this summer, and while there were concerns that a deal wouldn't cross the line, Ten Hag succeeded in welcoming his former player (at Dutch side Utrecht) in the dying embers.
The £65k-per-week ace had earned acclaim for his performances over the past few years and was even described as the "best central midfielder in the tournament" by journalist Carlo Garganese after his central role with Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He is, undoubtedly, one of the most composed and measured presences in Ten Hag's team, but his particular set of skills. while instilling control, do not quite progress the play as well as certain other phenoms in the Red Devils squad.
Over the past year, Amrabat ranks among the top 12% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, the top 10% for attempted passes and the top 14% for progressive passes per 90, but also ranks among the bottom 34% for assists and 27% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.
FBref likens the 27-year-old to Arsenal's Jorginho, and this is quite an apt assessment of where his talents lie, and while he is "perfectly suited to Ten Hag's Man Utd", according to Statman Dave, the forthcoming match against Paul Heckingbottom's side could be a great opportunity to unleash Christian Eriksen.
Why should Christian Eriksen start vs Sheffield United?
Hailed as a “genius” by Statman Dave, Eriksen has been one of the finest playmakers in the Premier League over the past decade.
Player
No of Assists
Kevin De Bruyne
102
James Milner
87
Christian Eriksen
75
Ashley Young
71
Mohamed Salah
63
Signing for Manchester United from Brentford on a free transfer in 2022, the 31-year-old has now forged 53 displays, scoring three goals and supplying 11 assists.
The £150k-per-week maestro has posted one goal and one assist across seven matches this season, but has only started three times in the English top flight, having started from the bench on the past three occasions.
The Danish midfielder ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for assists, the top 12% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for attempted passes and the top 7% for progressive passes per 90.
Clearly, Eriksen's talent lies in his ball-playing ability and creativity, and while Amrabat boasts a superlative level of passing, he is more disciplined and metronomic in his carriage.
Against the Blades, who are moored in deep waters already this season, United will ostensibly have little trouble with controlling the flow of the match – after all, today's hosts rank bottom for shots (71) and 19th for passes (2,773) in the division this season.
There is nothing to suggest that Amrabat and Eriksen couldn't thrive together in the middle of the pitch, and with Casemiro ruled out this is certainly a possibility today.
But given McTominay's destructive cameo last time out at Old Trafford, it would make sense to provide him with a starting berth against the Premier League's bottom club.
Ten Hag will want to restore the balance and get United, belatedly, up and running for good this term, and anything other than a victory over Heckingbottom's men will set the vultures circling.
Eriksen has not started any of the past three Premier League matches, but must be unleashed today to pump inventive life into the United squad, which will only benefit from his creativity.