Man United Vs. Brighton

Follow live coverage as Erik ten Hag manages his first match at Old Trafford to get their 2022/23 campaign underway against the Seagulls.

A cynical view of that might be this is the sort of thing that always happens with a new manager, of course, but the more salient point is that the level of coaching is not something this United squad have experienced. He is the first managerial appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson retired that is both on an upward curve in his career and at the forefront of the game’s methods. There is clarity and - above all - authority. Earlier this month, Marca revealed that De Jong agreed to defer approximately €17m in wages when extending his deal during the pandemic. To do so while refusing to pay him wages that he is owed is another entirely. There is imagination and improvement. For a financially-challenged club like Barça to push a player out so that they can fund a summer of extravagant spending is one thing. Graham Potter is hoping to absorb the recent blow after selling star full-back Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for £60 million, and the Seagulls will be eyeing up a top-half finish. “A club spending fortunes on new players whilst not paying the ones they have under contract their full money is immoral and a breach. If the long and protracted Frenkie de Jong transfer saga has not already been messy enough, there is one way of making it a whole lot messier. @FIFPRO should be all over bullying like this and stop it.” Follow all the latest updates from Old Trafford:

Manchester United will face Brighton at Old Trafford in Erik ten Hag's first Premier League game as manager.

The Portuguese netted a hat-trick on the opening weekend last season and against Brighton he boasts a formidable record of four goals and two assists in five league appearances against them. As decrepit as the stadium has become, in August, with the sunshine, it is still a resplendent and awe-inspiring sight. He’s got a handful today, Ten Hag, in that he will soon become familiar to the level of scrutiny a teamsheet attracts at United and he will have to explain himself before a ball has been kicked. Ten Hag needs to get points on the board before matches in which they could quite easily drop some. He had a mixed pre-season and following the signing of Christian Eriksen he finally has a worthy rival to his starting role. One of Ten Hag’s best friends whom he knows from growing up in Twente is a football journalist. It might not be the best look to put Ronaldo back into the side, but he is the only viable attacking option available. Elanga had a poor pre-season, and although Garnacho played well last weekend, he is still lacking minutes to go straight into the starting line up. Christian Eriksen was excellent in his two appearances last weekend but it is still somewhat of a surprise to see him start today. Martinez brings unique traits to the defensive line and was brought here with that starting role in mind. He was awful there against Leicester in April and his relocation is possibly informed by two sloppy performances against Villa and Atletico. Luke Shaw is a tad fortunate to be starting after a variable pre-season.