Erik ten Hag sends major Man United line-up hint for Brighton clash

Erik ten Hag has hinted at Facundo Pellistri’s inclusion in the Manchester United line-up to face Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.

The United manager has been dealing with several off-field issues, including situations with Jadon Sancho and Antony which sees them both unavailable for selection.

Antony is dealing with a legal battle against his ex-girlfriend, with the Brazilian strongly denying the domestic abuse allegations thrown against him.

Meanwhile, Sancho has been sent to train on his own after his shock statement in response to Ten Hag last week. He refused to apologise to the Dutchman following the incident.

“I don’t know,” replied Ten Hag when asked if Sancho will play for the club again. “I am sitting here. Tomorrow we have a big game, we are going into a new block of games, many games in a condensed programme. I focus on that.”

When pressed again, he added: “I don’t think this subject is important. I think what is important is I have to prepare my team. So that’s what I do.”

With both right-wingers now unavailable, there are limited choices for the position. Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat are both unavailable, which makes it unlikely that Bruno Fernandes is forced out to the right.

However, Ten Hag has suggested that those who previously did not get many opportunities will now get their chance.

“I know of course, with fans it’s the talk, with you it’s the talk, but with the players it is not the talk. They want to perform. For players who didn’t have so much opportunities, now they get their opportunity, they are happy, so this is their chance to come into the team,” he said.

“So, as I said, we had a really good spirit, everyone is focussing on this game, and the coming games.”

It would be fair to suggest that Pellistri is the player that Ten Hag is talking about, especially with the topic surrounding right-winger Sancho beforehand. The wide-man has played only 12 times for the club since signing in the summer of 2020 and one has been a start.

Pellistri has also impressed in almost every cameo appearance he’s made. He was also one of the bright sparks during the latest pre-season and has come from the bench to appear twice in the opening four games this campaign.

With minimal options on the right, it appears that it could be the 21-year-old’s time to shine.