How Manchester United should line up vs Brighton in Premier League opener

Manchester United will be looking to make a winning start to the 2022/23 Premier League campaign when they host Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon.

The visit of the Seagulls will mark the beginning of a new dawn at Old Trafford and Erik ten Hag's first competitive game in charge. The Dutchman experienced life in the Old Trafford home dugout for the first time last weekend, watching his side conclude their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano.

The stalemate with the Spanish outfit meant that United ended their pre-season schedule with a return of three wins, two draws and one defeat from their six friendlies. They produced some very encouraging performances at times during pre-season and Ten Hag will be hoping to see a similar display on Sunday.

READ MORE: Erik ten Hag hits out at questions about Cristiano Ronaldo's early exit from Manchester United friendly

Ahead of the curtain raiser with Graham Potter's side, Ten Hag has confirmed that he will be without striker Anthony Martial because of an injury complaint. The Frenchman scored three goals in pre-season, meaning his absence is a major blow, and it remains to be seen if Cristiano Ronaldo could replace him.

Here's how our MEN Sport writers think United should line-up. (Pick your own XI using the selector at the bottom of the article).

Samuel Luckhurst

Ten Hag will go with Maguire but Varane is United's best centre-back. Lisandro Martinez should not be held back — it is better to "ease him in" against Brighton at home than Brentford away or Liverpool at home. Tyrell Malacia deserves to keep his place.

Starting Christian Eriksen with Fred and Bruno Fernandes ahead of them is a forward-thinking approach and balanced. Any debate over