Manchester United are likely to start against Brighton and Hove Albion with Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire as his centre-back pairing.
That is according to Guillermo Rai, who earlier tweeted:
“Ten Hag rehearses his eleven type with Maguire and Lisandro Martínez. Varane starts as a substitute” (Translated by twitter)
🚩Noticia @diarioas
Ten Hag ensaya su once tipo con Maguire y Lisandro Martínez. Varane parte como suplente… https://t.co/3dBLrLry6I
— Guillermo Rai (@GuillerRai) August 5, 2022
The journalist claims that Erik ten Hag has been practicing with the same eleven all week, with the captain and the new signing pivotal to his sessions.
This would come as a blow to Raphael Varane, who has struggled for fitness in preseason.
The Frenchman started for Ten Hag’s first match out on tour, but an injury in Bangkok has limited his minutes in subsequent warmup games.
As reported by The Peoples Person earlier this morning, the new boss has put Varane on a specialist fitness programme in a bid to keep him available for United’s hectic schedule this season.
“We built him during pre-season really carefully (with) an individual programme. The last three weeks, I think, every session he is on the pitch and I am really happy with that,” Ten Hag told reporters during the pre-match press conference.
“You see him growing, his fitness levels, his performance levels. I am happy about that as at the moment, Rapha will be fit and it is a huge boost for both the squad and the team.”
Despite the likelihood of being on the bench against Brighton today, Varane should still feature prominently in the new campaign.
With the Qatar World Cup wedged into the middle of the season, the games will come thick and fast – with ten matchdays in October alone.
That will make rotation a necessity as the Red Devils chase success in four competitions.
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