Manchester United’s ‘Nightmare’ Brighton Test: Paul Merson Weighs In

Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side have endured a tough start to the new season (Picture: Getty)

Paul Merson fears Brighton could represent a ‘nightmare’ for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag this weekend. The Red Devils badly need to get back to winning ways having been forced to lick their wounds over the course of the international break following a gut-wrenching defeat at Arsenal prior to the international break.

With the controversies surrounding Antony and Jadon Sancho, allied to the pantomime that has become Harry Maguire’s malaise, Ten Hag could be forgiven for cursing the fixtures computer. Brighton won at Old Trafford 12 months ago in what was Ten Hag’s first competitive match in charge of United, and return to the north west in buoyant mood having made a flying start to the new campaign.

Merson’s Take on Manchester United’s ‘Nightmare’ Brighton Test

‘This game could turn out to be a bit of a nightmare for Manchester United as Brighton are a hard team to play against,’ Merson told Sportskeeda. ‘Erik ten Hag has a few issues to address and it’ll be interesting to see who starts up front at Old Trafford this weekend after Antony’s recent suspension.

‘There have been reports that Facundo Pellistri is in line for a start, but I think Marcus Rashford will be joined by Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund up front. I like Garnacho and he’s likely to start, but he’s better off coming on as a substitute as I feel he’s more effective while running at tired legs.’

Speculation Surrounding Jadon Sancho

Speculation surrounding Jadon Sancho’s future has dominated the headlines in recent weeks after a public back-and-forth involving Ten Hag. There have been reports that his Old Trafford career is as good as over, but I don’t think that’ll be the case.

A lot can change between now and the January transfer window and with Manchester United desperately short of options in attack, Sancho could claw his way back into the manager’s plans if he sticks to his guns and works diligently.

Conclusion

Manchester United have endured a tough start to the season, and this weekend’s test against Brighton could be a real ‘nightmare’ according to Paul Merson. With controversies surrounding Antony and Jadon Sancho, Ten Hag has his work cut out for him. However, with Manchester United desperately short of options in attack, Sancho could still have a chance of clawing his way back into the manager’s plans if he works diligently.

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