Erik ten Hag has already hinted how he will solve three Manchester United selection dilemmas

It's been a summer of steady progress for Manchester United, but now the time for talking is over and the real work begins. United begin the new Premier League campaign against Brighton this weekend and know that an early benchmark needs to be set to welcome their new era.

Erik ten Hag will be the eighth manager, including caretakers, to take charge of United in the nine years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Six of the previous seven in that time have won their first ever match in charge of the club, with compatriot Louis van Gaal the only exception.

United will be hoping to show the Premier League how much they have changed since their disastrous campaign last time out, but any Ten Hag revolution is most likely to take time rather than be an instant transformation.

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A win this weekend would help solidify his philosophy and justify the work he has been doing this summer, and with little margin for error, he needs to pick the best team at his disposal to do so.

Ten Hag's approach in pre-season has already hinted at the side we are most likely to see this weekend, though there are still arguably three positions up for grabs.

The new United manager used a total of 34 different players over the summer matches, and a preferred starting XI was identified based on the minutes he gave to his squad during the pre-season schedule.

David de Gea is quite clearly the first-choice keeper heading into the new campaign following Dean Henderson's loan exit to Nottingham Forest, with Tom Heaton a clear back-up option rather than a challenger to the role.

In defence, Harry Maguire remains the club captain and seems guaranteed to start whenever