Paul Merson says two Man Utd players must start vs Southampton, predicts ‘must-win’ result

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The Premier League is back and with it comes a must-win fixture for Manchester United after consecutive defeats.

Pre-season hopes and dreams have well and truly been shot down after the 3-0 thumping by Liverpool at Old Trafford.

This result followed on from the agonising defeat to Brighton after conceding in the final minute and now because of this, Manchester United are in must-win territory this weekend with a trip to St. Marys against Southampton.

In good news for Erik ten Hag, there are no new injury concerns for Manchester United although Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund will miss out.

Now, as the game fast approaches Paul Merson has shared his prediction for the game this weekend which he has labelled as being a ‘must-win’ for United.

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Erik ten Hag told to start Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee

In his predictions piece on SportsKeeda, Merson has picked out two United players he thinks simply have to start against the Saints in the latest meeting between United and Southampton.

“Even though Marcus Rashford is struggling at the moment, he still gets into my team. I would definitely play him in this fixture.

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“You’ve also got to start with Joshua Zirkzee. Ten Hag has to quickly identify his best team though.

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“We still haven’t got a clue on how Manchester United will line up against Southampton and that’s a major problem.”

This despite the Old Trafford crowd voicing its displeasure with Rashford against Liverpool, after his latest sub-par performance. Starting Zirkzee will be a popular decision though, and he will be brimming with confidence after scoring for Holland.

Southampton boss Russell Martin praised United’s talent levels and Rashford is undoubtedly at the peak of this when he is firing – he just needs to find a vein of form.

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Paul Merson predicts Manchester United vs Southampton

With the Premier League back on Saturday, so is Paul Merson’s weekly predictions column.

In this, he warned that despite Southampton struggling, this is still a ‘tricky game’ for United because to be beaten by this Saints side would be embarrassing.

“That’s exactly why it’s also a bit of a nightmare game for Erik ten Hag. This is a must-win game, there’s no two ways about it.

“The challenge for Ten Hag is that his players only returned from international duty on Thursday and they are in action in the early kick-off on Saturday. That means just one session on Friday before they hit the road.

“I still think Manchester United have enough to win here though. They have a good couple of fixtures after this game and a win here could help them get back on track.”

Merson concluded: “I expect Southampton to struggle this season and based on what I’ve seen so far, I can’t see them getting anything out of this game.”

The scoreline Merson predicted was a resounding 3-0 win for United, something we would love to see and ultimately that Ten Hag probably needs.