Erik ten Hag sends unpopular Man United lineup hint ahead of Southampton

Erik ten Hag has provided an unpopular Manchester United lineup hint ahead of their Premier League clash against Southampton this weekend.

The Reds have struggled in the early stages of the season, claiming just one Premier League win in their first three matches.

A 3-0 defeat to rivals Liverpool came after a last-minute loss to Brighton. Despite their opening victory over Fulham showing promise, Erik ten Hag’s team still has plenty to work on.

The international break allowed Ten Hag and his staff to reevaluate and assess what needs to change going forward.

A return to action comes this Saturday against Southampton in the early 12:30pm kick-off slot.

Ten Hag’s unpopular Man United lineup hint

Ten Hag conducted his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon ahead of the weekend’s game and provided the latest team news.

It was confirmed that Luke Shaw and Rasmus Højlund would not be available for this game as they are still recovering from injuries.

However, when asked about new signing Manuel Ugarte, the manager confirmed that he would be able to play against The Saints.

Importantly, however, the United boss stressed that Ugarte returned on Thursday, a day later than the rest of the squad. That would leave the midfielder with just two training sessions before the Premier League clash.

“Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw are progressing very well but are not ready for this game,” Ten Hag told reporters.

“Manuel Ugarte, I think we all have seen he played for Uruguay. He returned this afternoon, he was the only player who returned today.

“All the other players returned yesterday, so he is available for this game.”

This could hint that Ugarte will make his United debut from the bench this weekend after a longer journey back to Manchester from South America.

No excuses for Ten Hag

It would probably be the right decision for Ugarte to start on the bench despite being unpopular among the fanbase. The 23-year-old had a lengthy journey back to England and United are playing the early Saturday kick-off.

However, Ten Hag has no excuses going into this game against a newly promoted Premier League outfit.

Whatever team United plays should be good enough to dominate the match and earn three points as the club looks to kickstart their season.

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