Premier League - Football: Manchester United season preview

bet365 News Team Published: Jul 27 2022 21:06

With new boss Erik ten Hag in charge, Manchester United will be aiming to return to the top four in the Premier League in the upcoming season.

The Red Devils ended last term in a disappointing sixth place as interim boss Ralf Rangnick struggled to make any sort of impact at Old Trafford following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking in November.

United finished 35 points behind champions Manchester City and 11 adrift of fifth-placed Arsenal as they stumbled to six successive away defeats at the end of the campaign.

Next spring, it will be 10 years since their last Premier League title win in what was Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in charge. Under Ten Hag they are 28/1 to win what would be a shock 21st top-flight crown in 2022/23.

What	England Premier League 2022/23
Where	England
When	5th August 2022 - 28th May 2023
How to watch	Selected matches broadcast on Sky, BT Sport and Amazon Prime
Odds	Manchester City 4/7, Liverpool 2/1, Tottenham 14/1, Chelsea 16/1, Manchester United 33/1

Where did Manchester United finish last season?

6th

What are Manchester United's hopes for the season?

United were seen as top-four contenders 12 months ago after finishing second in 2020/21, but they ended up failing miserably to challenge the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea for a Champions League spot.

This time around, with Ten Hag coming in after an impressive spell in charge of Ajax, hopes are high they can break back into the top four, for which they are available at 6/4, even if there is an air of transition around Old Trafford.

Several senior players have been moved on, including Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Nemanja Matic, while Christian Eriksen has joined after impressing at Brentford and should add more creativity in the final third.

Defenders Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez have come in as well to bolster a backline that conceded 57 league goals last season and the pair look like sound investments.

However, the long-term pursuit of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona appears set to end in frustration and Cristiano Ronaldo, who was their top scorer in the league last season with 18 goals, seemingly remains unsettled.

United are 8/15 to endure another season of disappointment and not finish in the top four this time around.

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Who are Manchester United's opening opponents?

United entertain Brighton on the opening weekend, with the Old Trafford clash taking place on Sunday 7th August at 14:00.

The Red Devils are 1/2 to win, Albion are 19/4 and the draw is 10/3.

When are Manchester United's key fixtures?

Ten Hag's side host north-west rivals Liverpool in just their third game, on Monday 22nd August, while the first Manchester derby of the campaign, a trip to the Etihad, is scheduled for the first weekend in October.

The reverse clash at home against the champions is set to take place in the middle of January.

United have what looks like an agreeable run-in, as they play Wolves, Bournemouth and Fulham in their final three fixtures and they also go to the Cottagers in the last game before the break for the World Cup on 12th November.

Ten Hag's men entertain West Ham when the domestic action resumes on Boxing Day, after the Qatar showpiece.

Related Premier League News

Premier League - Football: Liverpool season preview

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Premier League - Football: Leicester City season preview

Premier League - Football: Chelsea season preview

Who is Manchester United's manager?

Ten Hag was appointed as United's new boss at the end of last season after a successful five years in charge of Ajax in his native Netherlands.

The 52-year-old won three Eredivisie titles with the Amsterdam giants and cultivated a reputation as one of the brightest coaches around, also leading them to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019.

Ten Hag had a two-year spell in charge of Bayern Munich's reserve side between 2013-15, before taking over at Utrecht, where he stayed until 2017.

The former centre-back will want to organise United's defence to make them much more solid and then try to replicate the possession-based, attacking approach which brought him great success at Ajax.

What players have Manchester United signed?

Tyrell Malacia (Feyenoord)
Christian Eriksen (Free)
Lisandro Martinez (Ajax)

Which players have left Manchester United?

Edinson Cavani (Released)
Juan Mata (Released)
Paul Pogba (Juventus)
Jesse Lingard (Nottingham Forest)
Nemanja Matic (Roma)
Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest, Loan)
Dylan Levitt (Dundee)
Andreas Pereira (Fulham)
Alvaro Fernandez (Preston, Loan)
D'Mani Mellor (Released)
Reece Devine (Released)
Lee Grant (Released)
Paul McShane (Released)
Connor Stanley (Released)
Paul Woolston (Released)

Who are Manchester United's star players?

Star player	Cristiano Ronaldo
Potential top scorer	Cristiano Ronaldo
Set-piece king	Christian Eriksen
Exciting youngster	Anthony Elanga

Goalkeeper David de Gea was close to being back to his best last season as he was regularly forced to make up for the sloppy defending in front of him. Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes contributed with 10 league goals but Ten Hag will want him to be more consistent over the course of the new campaign.

Ronaldo, despite being 37, top-scored for United with 18 league goals and did his best to inspire those around him who were struggling for form and confidence. If he stays and regains focus, he could again be the main man, despite his veteran status. The Portuguese is 14/1 to be the Premier League top scorer in 2022/23.

Eriksen is an interesting capture as he stood out at Brentford in the second half of last season and he will want to prove he's still got the class to be considered one of the very best playmakers in Europe.

One to watch out wide could be Swedish international Anthony Elanga, who was given his chance under Rangnick and will be aware of Ten Hag's liking for putting his faith in younger players.

Which of Manchester United's players will be going to the World Cup?

A whole host of United's first-team squad will be on show in Qatar, including De Gea for Spain, Fernandes and Ronaldo for Portugal and new signings Malacia for the Netherlands and Martinez for Argentina, respectively.

Raphael Varane will be part of France's squad for the tournament, Eriksen will be one of Denmark's star players and Fred will expect to make the cut for Brazil.

United's England contingent could include at least Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, although their involvement for the Three Lions will depend on how they perform in the first few months of the season.