Manchester United vs Lens LIVE: Onana and Mount start as Red Devils return to Old Trafford with Hojlund set to be unveiled
Manchester United are in need of a much-needed boost as they return home to face French side Lens at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils will close out their pre-season schedule with a double-header having lost three consecutive friendlies.
Erik ten Hag’s side slipped to a 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund that followed losses to Real Madrid and Wrexham on their American tour.
United will now look to reverse their poor run of form in a hectic pre-season that will see them face Lens in Manchester a day before they battle Athletic Bilbao in Dublin.
Pre-season friendly to kick-off at 12:45pm. Man United XI: Onana, Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mount, Fernandes, Antony, Garnacho, Rashford. Subs: Heaton, Kovar, Lindelof, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka, Eriksen, Hannibal, Pellistri, Van de Beek, Forson, Sancho. Fans can watch live on MUTV starting from 11:45pm, and you can sign up to watch the action here.
Follow our live match blog below for regular updates…
The Red Devils are back. After a commanding 3-0 win against Brighton in their opening Premier League fixture, Manchester United return to Old Trafford as they prepare to host Ligue1 side Lens in their first match in the group stage of the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made three changes from the last match, swapping out goal-scoring heroes Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani for Frederico Rodrigues and Mason Greenwood respectively, while the returning Donny van de Beek has also been rested ahead of a busy fixture schedule. In their stead, the young attack pairing of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford will lead the line for the Red Devils, while new signing Alex Telles makes his debut for the club in the left-back position.
The midfield looks to remain largely unchanged, as crucial contributions resulted in an impressive outing against Brighton, with Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay, and Bruno Fernandes once again in the middle of the park. On the wings, there will be strong interest in summer signings Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo, who both get starts again after making brief cameo appearances against Brighton.
The backline will see a change at the left-back position, as new signing Alex Telles has been tasked with filling the void left by the departing Luke Shaw, and he will be determined to impress. In goal, highly-rated Andyhast Overgaard takes over from David De Gea between the sticks, and 18-year-old Danish defender Isak Hojlund could make his Old Trafford bow if Solskjaer decides to use his three substitutions.
This should be an exciting match to watch, and one which could provide the foundations for a successful season for the Red Devils. With the curtain opening on their European campaign, they will look to operate as a team unified, with their end goal an elusive UEFA Europa League title. They have the talent, now they just need to translate it to the field.