Brighton’s manager Fabian Hurzeler has explained one reason he believes Manchester United can be ‘so dangerous’ ahead of their Premier League clash.
After a memorable 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, Manchester United return to Old Trafford for a challenging encounter with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Ruben Amorim’s campaign has been far from smooth, with losses to Brentford and Grimsby Town sparking questions about his long-term future at the helm.
Nonetheless, that triumph on Merseyside – United’s first at Anfield in nearly ten years and their second consecutive league win – has boosted morale and reignited belief among the fanbase.
Brighton, though, have often proven a difficult opponent for United, and Amorim will be eager to make amends after Fabian Hurzeler’s side earned a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford last season.
Hurzeler sends clear message to Baleba ahead of United clash
One of the major talking points ahead of this game is the fact that Carlos Baleba will be visiting Old Trafford just weeks after he was denied a move to the club.
Baleba wanted to join United in the summer but decided against forcing a move when Brighton refused to negotiate with the Red Devils. The South coast side would not even name their price for the midfielder.
United remain interested in the Cameroon international but it seems like he has been impacted by the speculation around his name to begin the season. He has been in poor form and Hurzeler has challenged him to overcome these issues.
“I think it’s also the next step for him as a person, for him as a personality to overcome these rumours, to overcome this noise. Because in the end, it’s only noise that tries to distract him from performing for us, for Brighton,” the German boss said in his pre-match press conference.
“The main thing, and it’s not only for us here, regarding his development and in general for his career, is that he really has to focus on the things he can influence and he can’t influence the rumours, he can’t influence the noise around him.
“He can only influence the things he’s doing on the pitch, how he asks for the ball, how he’s positioned when he receives the ball, how good are his angles, how much effort he shows against the ball, how intense he can be against the ball.
“That’s the main thing he needs to focus on. The rest is just noise. The rest is things that could distract him from his performance, from his development. That’s something that he has to avoid. Then I’m sure that he will put in a good performance for us tomorrow.”
Casemiro trusted after Baleba transfer miss
If United were able to sign Baleba in the summer, the young midfielder would have likely slotted into the team alongside Bruno Fernandes in the engine room.
Instead, Amorim is still trusting Casemiro in that role and he was one of United’s best players in their victory against Liverpool at Anfield on the weekend.
The Brazilian clearly still feels like he has a lot to give the Reds and playing just once a week does seem to be helping him perform at a higher level.
Still, there are question marks over United’s midfield this season and whoever starts this game will have a difficult test against Baleba and his Brighton teammates.
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