Erik ten Hag should consider change of heart on Manchester United transfer decision

The dress rehearsals are all done. The preparations are nearly over. The next time Manchester United take to the field it will be for real and we will quickly see how far they have come in just a few short weeks.

New manager Erik ten Hag has already made a positive start to life in the United hot seat. Despite being hamstrung by Cristiano Ronaldo's desire to leave and a slow transfer window, he already looks to have imposed a structured, creative and exciting style of play on his team while beginning to rebuild shattered confidence levels.

A full pre-season has been priceless for the Dutchman in that regard, while the six matches and weeks away on tour have allowed him to really assess his squad closely and settle on which players will be crucial to his set-up, those that will be on the periphery and the ones which will be ushered out of the door. With United getting their Premier League campaign underway on Sunday against Brighton, there is little time left for anyone to change his mind.

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However, Ethan Laird may well have a strong case for doing so. The young right-back is set to join Watford at any moment for his third loan stint at a Championship club but, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka unavailable at the weekend, he started in Sunday's friendly against Rayo Vallecano and gave a great account of himself.

The 20-year-old was caught out in the first few seconds after the La Liga outfit pulled off a clever opening move but, despite being targeted by the opposition, he more than held his own. In fact, he grew into the game tremendously as it went on and his early jittery nerves settled down. In the second half, he made several crucial