Erik ten Hag’s trusted Manchester United players will start vs Brighton

Manchester United have sieved seven goals in four games and three centre halves have succumbed to injury or illness. Yet Harry Maguire will not start against Brighton.

As long as Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez get a clean bill of health after international duty, they will continue. If Raphael Varane is match-fit, then Maguire will be the penultimate centre-back in the queue.

Jonny Evans is at the back and that was a regressive sight for United in the dying embers at Arsenal: Claude Puel's first-choice centre halves at Leicester five years ago shielding Andre Onana.

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong for Maguire. He came on at the Emirates Stadium with the scoreline 1-1 and United lost 3-1. He emerged in Glasgow with England coasting and he put through his own net.

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Five months ago, United led Sevilla 2-0 in the Europa League quarter-finals and Varane was forced off with an ankle injury. With Maguire on for the remaining three halves of the tie, United were thrashed 5-0 on aggregate.

Maguire is in a vortex of negativity that will only end once he leaves. He should have left in the summer but was unprepared to accept the shortfall in wages or United's recompense. Maguire was said to have demanded a pay-off of around £12million.

There is little pay-off to remaining at United. Maguire has lost his place and lost the captaincy. The England camp provides some respite - he was assured on the ball against Scotland amid the Hampden heckles - yet some ingrates booed him at Wembley 18 months ago.

Maguire has never been booed by regular United matchgoers at Old Trafford. Without wanting to diminish the enthusiasm of some supporters at overseas