Erik ten Hag could offer more Manchester United selection clues vs Crystal Palace

Selection hints

In two pre-season friendlies so far Erik ten Hag has pretty much picked his strongest Manchester United side. It was something of a surprise to see such a strong side start against Melbourne Victory on Friday night.

United are back in action at the MCG tonight against Crystal Palace and given the standard of opposition is rising again, you imagine Ten Hag might continue his policy of giving his strongest team some match time, especially as fitness levels increase.

That policy is giving us a few hints about his potential selection policy come August 7 and the first Premier League game of the season, although that will also be affected by the arrival into the squad of Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen, plus any other potential new signings.

READ MORE: What Ten Hag is like away from the cameras

On Friday there was only one non-enforced change with Anthony Elanga coming in for Marcus Rashford. There's a good chance that will be reverted and any other changes could be interesting into this context.

Garner's first chance

It's been a frustrating tour for James Garner so far. This was the 21-year-old's big chance to stake a claim under Ten Hag but a minor knock picked up on the first day of the tour has kept him out of the games against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory.

But he is back in training now and might be able to get a run out at some point against Palace. There are only two games left before United return to Manchester for Garner to impress.

He has had to watch as Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal shine in midfield instead. If Garner is to stay at United this season, rather than head out on loan again, then he needs the chance to impress.

Maguire's position

Ten Hag's first in-depth sit-down with the