Jose Mourinho made his mark at Manchester United in his very first competitive game in charge of the Red Devils and so did Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Manchester United fans will be on cloud nine right now after starting their new era with a silverware beating Premier League champions Leicester City 2-1 in the FA Community Shield. Another huge news awaited for the fans as the much-awaited Paul Pogba deal was also announced by the 20-time English champions.
With the ‘Special One’ on board, Manchester United fans will be expecting big things this season. Success is something the fans could not enjoy since the retirement of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson but if someone can change their fortunes, it’s Mourinho. The Portuguese made brilliant utilization of the transfer market by bringing in players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba.
The Red Devils have majorly bolstered their squad with quality this summer and with the season set to kick off this weekend, let us discuss what will be the strongest possible lineup of them.
Defence
David de Gea keeping his place under the bar is obvious. Mourinho will have plenty of options to choose from while opting for his back four. Antonio Valencia has made a strong impact in the pre-season and looks highly likely to start in the right-back position. Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling should easily be the first-choice pairing at the heart of the defence. Luke Shaw is likely to be the first-choice left-back ahead of Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo.
Midfield
Manchester United are probably celebrating ‘Pogback’ more than their FA Community shield win. Bringing the French international was a major statement of intent from the Old Trafford club and he will be an assured starter in the middle of the park. Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick will contend for a starting place alongside the former Juventus man in the middle of the park.
Schneiderlin’s inclusion will allow Pogba to play with the freedom which made him so pu[ular in the black and white jersey. There’s a lot of anticipation regarding his move, but he’ll only flourish if played in the right setup and Didier Deschamps has already shown us how not to use him.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, once he truly settles in English football, will be an assured starter on the right flank although there will be a strong competition for the place between him and Jesse Lingard who scored a sensational solo goal against Leicester yesterday. Skipper Wayne Rooney is likely to be the first-choice as the number ten while Anthony Martial should start on the left flank.
Attack
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be the first-choice striker at Old Trafford this season. Even at the age of 34, he is still one of the best in the business and he proved it by scoring the winner against Leicester City yesterday.