Our 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) team previews continue with Manchester United, who are coming off the back of a third-place finish.
In these team-by-team guides, we’ll be looking at the best players, taking a stab at a predicted line-up for Gameweek 1, reviewing pre-season and more.
We’ll also include a fan Q&A, this time courtesy of FPL Wire co-host Lateriser.
You can read our stats-driven review of Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge here.
Data in this article comes from our Premium Members Area, which you can access with a discounted pre-season subscription.
MAN UTD: REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
Erik ten Hag had a decent first season at Man Utd, getting them back into the UEFA Champions League and winning a trophy.
Since then, a new/better goalkeeper has been signed, as well as Mason Mount (£7.0m) and £72m striker Rasmus Hojlund (£7.0m).
As a result, United are going to be better at playing out from the back, while Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) might finally have a number nine who can finish his chances.
United’s 58 goals last season was the fewest of any top-six club, yet only Manchester City boasted more expected goals (xG) than them (56.60) in open play.
The early schedule is kind, too.
United start with two favourable home fixtures in the first three Gameweeks and they were almost imperious at Old Trafford last term: they lost just once on their own patch and that was all the way back in August 2022.
MAN UTD: REASONS TO BE FEARFUL
But what if Hojlund takes months to adjust and develop?
That would leave United relying on either Marcus Rashford (£9.0m)/Jadon Sancho (£7.0m) through the middle, or Anthony Martial (£6.5m), who simply isn’t reliable.
It’s a scenario that could hurt United, given that their total of 58 goals in 2022/23 was only level with ninth-placed Brentford.
There could be issues in other areas, too.
For example, it could take time for Andre Onana (£5.0m) to find his feet, and what about their statistical overperformance at the back last season, could we see a bit of regression here?
SUMMER TRANSFER ACTIVITY
Erik ten Hag has made some clever additions in the transfer market, with Onana, Mount and Hojlund significantly strengthening the squad.
Onana will allow United to play a higher defensive line and transition from defence to attack more effectively, while the addition of Mount adds another creator into the mix.
Finally, Hojlund hands ten Hag a much-needed focal point up front, something United were crying out for.
Meanwhile, the likes of David de Gea, Alex Telles and Anthony Elanga (£5.0m) have departed, with Dean Henderson (£4.5m), Harry Maguire (£4.5m) and Scott McTominay (£5.0m) rumoured to be next.
PRE-SEASON REPORT
Man Utd have played eight friendlies in the space of 24 days, with the latest a 3-1 win over Lens at Old Trafford and a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao in Dublin.
The early line-ups had a youthful feel, with Kobbie Mainoo (£4.5m) – who is now injured – and Noam Emeran impressing.
Since then, they’ve lost to Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, conceding five goals, yet the win (and performance) over Lens on Saturday offers hope they can hit the ground running in Gameweek 1.
Sancho has looked pretty good as a false nine, too.
OPENING FIXTURES
The opening list is a bit of a mixed bag.
United have two very favourable home fixtures in the opening three Gameweeks against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, who ranked 18th and 20th for away form respectively in 2022/23.
Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 2 will be a challenge, but this might be a good time to face them, as it might take them a bit of time to adapt to Ange Postecoglou’s methods.
A trip to Arsenal in Gameweek 4 is far from straightforward, but the schedule from Gameweek 6-9 is much, much kinder.
PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 1 LINE-UP
Ten Hag admitted after the 3-1 win over Lens that there were only “one or two positions” up for grabs in Gameweek 1, which is probably at right-back – Diogo Dalot (£5.0m) or Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m) – and in attack, be it Sancho or Alejandro Garnacho (£5.0m).
With Martial being kept on a bespoke training programme and Hojlund carrying a minor injury, Rashford could lead the line, flanked by Antony and one of Sancho/Garnacho.
The rest of the line-up feels fairly settled.
This predicted line-up was compiled on August 8, so make sure to check out our Team News tab closer to the Gameweek 1 deadline for the latest updates.
SET-PIECE TAKERS
Bruno Fernandes seems to be the first-choice penalty taker at United, although he did allow Martial and Rashford to step up in Gameweek 10 and the FA Cup third round respectively.
Since then, however, he’s taken and scored all four of United’s spot-kicks, the last one coming in the FA Cup final in June.
Rashford has been on the pitch each time, but Martial for none of them.
Rashford, Christian Eriksen (£6.0m), Fernandes, Luke Shaw (£5.5m) and Mount are all in the mix for free-kicks, with the latter four taking corners.
BEST FPL OPTIONS
Rashford is United’s primary goal threat and ten Hag has challenged him to score 40 goals next season.
He struck 30 times in all competitions in 2022/23, including 17 in the Premier League, despite a much quieter run-in, when the squad started to feel the effects of a gruelling schedule.
Overall, he had the most Opta defined ‘big chances’ among all FPL midfielders, whilst ranking second for shots in the box, only behind Mohamed Salah (£12.5m).
Ten Hag says he wants United “to be the best transition team in the world”, which will play to Rashford’s strengths.
Fernandes’ total xA was the third-highest of any player in the 2022/23 Premier League. It resulted in just eight Opta assists, so with better finishing from his team-mates, he can hit double figures next term.
The Portuguese has inherited the armband over the summer, plays most minutes and is on penalties, making him an excellent midfield option.
Elsewhere, Onana’s ball-playing abilities can help him deliver bonus when United keep a clean sheet (last season his 93.8% pass accuracy in his own half was only bettered by a handful of goalkeepers across Europe’s top five leagues), while his saves in the second half against Lens were further evidence he will help his side in many ways.
Shaw is one of the best left-backs in the Premier League and deserves to be included in this section of our coverage, but costs £0.5m more than Onana.
ONES FOR THE WATCHLIST
Mount might need some time to adapt to ten Hag’s tactical system, but when he does, could offer value.
He will probably play next to Casemiro initially but could interchange positions with Fernandes, creating more of a 4-3-3 formation. He needs to be more consistent in his output to become a serious FPL option, but that could happen as the season develops.
Hojlund could arrive on the Fantasy radar when fit, while Garnacho’s stock is growing, too.
In addition, Dalot at £5.0m might pick up a bit of interest if he can secure a regular starting role over Wan-Bissaka.
FAN Q&A
Lateriser was kind enough to answer a few questions on United for us.
Q. Who or what has caught your eye in pre-season?
“Manchester United have had a slightly disjointed pre-season with Erik Ten Hag especially calling out the team’s poor performance in their pre-season game against Dortmund.
“Two parts – first hour [was] good, well performing, playing as a team, lot of dynamic, good pressing, so it was really enjoyable to see. That is what I wanted to say to the team at half-time and then all of a sudden they gave two goals away and they really were giveaways. So that was already annoying but the last half an hour was bad, was a poor performance. Didn’t follow the rules at all, not in pressing, not in building up and not in attacking, so there were 11 individuals finally on the pitch and that wasn’t good at all.” – Erik ten Hag
That last half an hour was where most of the first team played but our team tends to respond well to ten Hag and I’m expecting us to be fine by the time Gameweek 1 comes around.
Mason Mount has actually impressed me in pre-season but he’s used more than Bruno Fernandes in the first phase of build and attacks slightly less than Bruno, so far at least. One quote that stood out from pre-season for me is ten Hag mentioning that Mount will actually help unshackle Rashford because he’s able to drift wide which leaves the inside left forward space, which Rashford prefers playing over the striker role as mentioned in his interview with Gary Neville. Rashford also mentioned he was carrying a little bit of an injury at the end of last season and wants to score more than he did in 2022/23. Jadon Sancho has looked very sharp in pre-season and I won’t be surprised if he starts as the false nine while Hojlund gets integrated into the squad. Mount has really impressed me in pre-season, he looks really sharp and has gelled well with his team-mates. Onana is just ready for the Premier League, I don’t expect much of a settling in period.”
Q. Who would be the top three FPL picks you’d go for and why?
“The top three picks from Manchester United would be Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Onana. Man Utd are playing in a way designed for Rashford to score goals and I expect him to continue from where he left off. Don’t think if you are trying to save £0.5m in your squad that you can pick Bruno over Rashford as Rashford is definitely the better pick for me despite Bruno potentially having penalties. He is the prime goalscorer in our team and the quotes above suggest he’s as hungry as ever.
Bruno Fernandes is still pick number two for me because he’s always going to be involved in and around the points because of his goal/assist potential, but he’s more of a trickler than an explosive pick.
Onana’s likelihood to get bonus points because of his passing ability and saves combined look good to me and he’s my third favourite pick from our club. I must mention though that I’m not as bullish as everyone on our clean sheet potential as we’ll have a little time of adapting to a higher line and build up from the back which we’ll invariably play since we have Onana in our ranks now.”
Q. Will you own any of Man Utd’s players in Gameweek 1? Why/why not?
“I own Marcus Rashford in my team and he’s one of the non-negotiables. I still am contemplating Bruno and Onana but they depend on whether I go for Mohamed Salah or not due to the lack of potential funds.”
Q. Prediction for 2023/24 – where do you think your team will finish and why?
“I expect us to finish in the top four for sure given we’ve responded well to ten Hag and should be more settled in our second season under him. That said, I do think we will finish third given certain clubs around us had a distinctly poor season and I’m expecting them to crawl back.”
