Erik ten Hag might be about to confirm his defensive pecking order at Manchester United

Eight matches into the Premier League season, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, quite staggeringly, has only been able to name the same back-four twice.

After, albeit with a slice of good fortune, starting the season with a clean sheet at home to Wolves, it appeared as though the United boss had immediately settled on his strongest defensive line. From right to left, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw started the season opener and were deployed as a quartet again against Tottenham Hotspur five days later.

That, however, was where Ten Hag's hopes of finding a sense of consistency and continuity came to an abrupt halt. United's defensive department has been battered by injuries ever since, both in the full-back and centre-back positions.

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Ten Hag has named six different defensive combinations in United's last six league games, meaning it is hardly surprising they have recorded just two clean sheets in the league so far this season. Tyrell Malacia, Wan-Bissaka, Martinez and Shaw are all currently assigned to the treatment room, meaning there has been plenty of chopping and changing already this term.

Much to Ten Hag's relief, however, United are set to welcome both Varane and Sergio Reguilon back into the frame for tonight's tussle with basement club Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Varane missed the win over Brentford prior to the international break with a minor injury, while Reguilon has missed the last four games through a mixture of both injury and illness.

Should both of them start, being handed one of the two centre-back spots and the