Manchester United’s first game of the Premier League season was near perfection as the Red Devils thrashed Leeds 5-1.
Now attention turns to the team’s second match, with United travelling to Southampton.
United had to fight hard for a win at St Mary’s last season, with a late goal from Edinson Cavani sealing a memorable 3-2 victory.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be tempted to stick with the same XI which beat Leeds, but he also has a squad full of fresh players who will want to convince him to mix it up.
Here is a look at four early questions for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of Sunday’s game…
Will Raphael Varane be ready?
Raphael Varane was presented to the crowd at Old Trafford against Leeds. Now the work begins.
Varane will get a full week of training to prove his fitness to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of the match.
At the least, it is likely Varane will be in the squad. Although Eric Bailly will also be pushing to prove his fitness too.
Victor Lindelof played very well against Leeds and was praised by Solskjaer after the win.
Varane may have to settle for a place on the bench. The bold call would be to put him straight in.
Should Donny van de Beek come into midfield?
Fred and Scott McTominay were terrific against Leeds, but Solskjaer won’t want to rely on both of them each and every week.
If he is going to mix it up, then Donny van de Beek is the player most likely to profit, and he made one of his rare starts last season against the Saints.
Van de Beek is press resistant and should cope well against Southampton, and his friendly performance against Everton at the start of the week showed he is in bright form.
Should Jadon Sancho start?
Jadon Sancho made his Manchester United debut as a substitute against Leeds, playing the last 15 minutes.
That taster will push him to work hard in training this week to earn his first start this weekend.
The winger could replace Dan James, who was effective against Leeds, but is rarely guaranteed to be a week to week starter.
An away tie away from Old Trafford may take some of the expectation off Sancho and be an ideal setting for him to make an impact.
Will Edinson Cavani be ready?
Edinson Cavani was the game changer for United against Southampton last season, coming off the bench to score two goals.
It is very unlikely Cavani will start, but his presence on the bench will be enough to put fear into Southampton.
United need to hope he is ready to play at least 15 minutes if needed, as he could really unsettle the Saints if he is brought on with United chasing a goal.
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