“Are we serious as a club?” – Manchester United fans frustrated at Ten Hag as he refuses to name 2 players in line-up to face Brighton
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has opted not to start Facundo Pellistri or Aaron Wan-Bissaka against Brighton & Hove Albion and fans are furious.
The Red Devils host the Seagulls at Old Trafford today (September 16), looking to bounce back from a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Arsenal. Ten Hag's men currently sit 11th in the league with two wins and two defeats from four games.
Many anticipated Pellistri finally being given his opportunity to shine due to the absences of Jadon Sancho and Antony. The former is training away from the first team after clashing with his manager. The latter has taken a leave of absence as he is the subject of a police investigation into allegations of assault.
Pellistri is yet to start a league game for Manchester United but his stock has grown. He impressed during the pre-season and has scored three goals and provided one assist in nine games for the Red Devils U21s during his time at Old Trafford.
The Uruguayan winger has come off the bench in two games so far this season amounting to 18 minutes of action. He'll have to do so again as Ten Hag has named him as a sub against a tricky Brighton side.
Meanwhile, Wan-Bissaka has surprisingly been selected on the bench with loanee Sergio Reguilon handed a start. The Tottenham Hotspur left-back joined United on loan following injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
Diogo Dalot had been filling in as a makeshift left-back but Reguilon will make his debut instead today. This is despite Wan-Bissaka's career resurgence that has seen him start each of his side's four games thus far with one assist.
Wan-Bissaka performed brilliantly against the in-form Kaoru Mitoma in Manchester United's FA Cup semifinal win against Brighton last season. Thus, many may have expected to see him go up against the Japanese international again.
Instead, that burden falls to Dalot with the Portuguese right-back selected. He sits in front of goalkeeper Andre Onana and alongside Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, and Reguilon in defense.
Meanwhile, Scott McTominay joins Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in midfield, with Bruno Fernandes on the right wing and Marcus Rashford on the left. Rasmus Hojlund makes his first start since joining the Red Devils.
However, fans aren't happy to see Pellistri and Wan-Bissaka not starting. One fan made their feelings known on X (formerly Twitter):
"No Wan-Bissaka????? Are we serious as a club??"
Here's how fans on X reacted to Ten Hag's decision not to start either player against Brighton:
Sofyan Amrabat won't make his debut for Manchester United against Brighton
Manchester United are without new signing Sofyan Amrabat for the visit of Brighton. The Moroccan midfielder joined Ten Hag's side from Fiorentina on transfer deadline day.
The 27-year-old is nursing a back injury that prevented him from representing Morocco during the international break. His back issue has ruled him out of the clash with Seagulls and fans will have to wait for him to make his debut.
Amrabat's arrival comes at a vital point for Ten Hag whose midfield has looked poor so far this season. Casemiro has been vulnerable when the opposition have countered. Manchester United's new No.4 made 49 appearances across competitions for Fiorentina last season, bagging one assist as their midfield anchor.