da gbg bet: As the Red Devils kick off their pre-season campaign against Leeds in Oslo, a number of players will be playing for their Old Trafford futures
da fezbet: After one week of training, Manchester United properly begin their pre-season campaign on Wednesday against Leeds in Oslo. The friendly in front of the club's passionate Scandinavian supporters will be the first match since the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City and gives Erik ten Hag the chance to try out some new ideas barely one month out from the start of the Premier League season.
A lot has happened since United lost 2-1 to their arch rivals at Wembley, with Mason Mount arriving for £60 million ($77.6m) and David de Gea departing unexpectedly. United hope that more players will be coming through the door before the new campaign begins in August, not least a striker and a goalkeeper, and that a few players are moved on too to bring in some badly-needed revenue.
But there are also plenty of those already on the club's books who will be in the spotlight when United meet Leeds and in their other six pre-season matches. GOAL casts an eye over Ten Hag's squad and picks 10 players who, for various reasons, have something to prove over the next four weeks.
GettyJadon Sancho
Sancho has shown only glimpses of his true quality in two inconsistent and sometimes troubled seasons with United since his £73m ($94.4m) move from Borussia Dortmund. It has to be a case of third time lucky if he wants to get out of this downward spiral and resurrect his United career.
After being removed from the squad to work on his fitness and mental state midway through the season, Sancho showed flashes of brilliance when he returned in February, looking sharp and effective against Tottenham, Leicester and Chelsea.
But too often he looked afraid of taking risks, going through matches without doing anything of note. He will not be able to do the same in his third campaign, especially after the arrival of Mount, and he must hit the ground running in pre-season.
AdvertisementGettyChristian Eriksen
The Danish international brought vision and balance to United and formed Ten Hag's best midfield trio with Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. But as the campaign wore on he began to struggle and was usually the first player to be substituted.
He was particularly weak in the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City, lacking intensity and energy when United needed it the most. Mount's signing also puts him under pressure and he will need to show Ten Hag that his stamina has improved over the summer.
GettyAnthony Martial
Martial does not have to prove his ability to Ten Hag and the manager was keen to stress throughout last season that the French forward had played his part in some of United's best performances and results.
But he does have to prove his fitness after missing 34 matches in all competitions due to injury. He sustained a total of four injuries over the season, being absent for around 10 weeks between January and April and then hurting his hamstring the week before the FA Cup final.
His fitness troubles underlined United's need to add a striker to their squad and even though there is no sign of another centre forward arriving imminently, Martial needs to demonstrate he can play 90 minutes without calling for the physio. He is not in the squad to face Leeds but it is paramount that he goes on the tour of the USA and makes a substantial contribution.
GettyHarry Maguire
Maguire started just eight Premier League games last season, slipping into an existence as the team's fifth-choice centre-back. The return of Lisandro Martinez, who missed the last two months of the season, puts extra pressure on him to perform.
The England defender has been training hard over the summer. While he could have been lounging on the beach, he has instead been working on his fitness with Ricardo Carvalho in Portugal.
Reports that United are not willing to sell Maguire for less than £50m ($64.7m) indicate he could be staying at Old Trafford next season and might get another opportunity to show Ten Hag what he is made of. Once he joins up with the squad in the States (he is not due back in training until next week) he has to prove to his manager he is worth keeping around.