Manchester United kicked off their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur and while the victory was certainly a positive result, the Red Devils were anything but inspiring with their performance on the day.
United now prepare to square off against Aston Villa away from home on Friday night and the Premier League giants will certainly have to put in an improved performance in order to claim the three points from the clash against a tough looking Villa side.
United do head into the game as favourites but Villa have turned into a gritty side under Tim Sherwood and the Red Devils will have to be careful not to get complacent ahead of the clash.
Here is the Strongest Possible Lineup for Manchester United against Aston Villa –
Goalkeeper
Sergio Romero started ahead of David De Gea during the clash against Tottenham and with the Spaniard’s future at Old Trafford still not sorted as of yet, Romero looks likely to keep his spot between the sticks once again.
The Argentine international did very well last week despite a couple of shaky moments and he will surely be looking to build on the performance once again against a dangerous looking Villa attack.
Defence
It was Matteo Darmian, Daley Blind, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw who started in defence against Tottenham and given their solid performance as a unit, the quartet should once again start on Friday night as well.
Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones are still out injured while Paddy McNair, Tyler Blackett and Jonny Evans remain options for van Gaal to choose from if he decides to change things around at the back.
Midfield
The Manchester United midfield looked a bit labored last week but Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick seem to be striking a good partnership at the middle of the part and the duo should start once again against Villa.
Marouane Fellaini remains banned for the clash but van Gaal could consider using Bastian Schweinsteiger from the start following his impressive display from the bench against Tottenham.
In the attacking areas, Juan Mata and Ashley Young look likely to be deployed in the wide positions while Memphis Depay will probably be used as the second striker once again.
Many feel that Mata and Depay will work better if their positions are interchanged and it will be interesting to see if van Gaal caves into popular demand.
Attack
Wayne Rooney did very well to lead the line on his own against Tottenham and it was his contribution which led to the own goal from Kyle Walker.
Rooney will undoubtedly be starting against Villa and he will now be hopeful of opening his goalscoring account for the season.
(4-4-1-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
