Man United will be targeting a first victory of the season when they face Burnley at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, and here are five pre-match talking points.
George is a Senior Football Writer for the Manchester Evening News, mostly covering Manchester United. He previously worked for football.london before joining the MEN team in July 2021. As well as covering United, George is a Championship-enthusiast and co-hosts The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24), which you can find on all major podcast platforms.
Ruben Amorim points out an instruction from the touchline.
Ruben Amorim needs to oversee a victory against Burnley.(Image: Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images.)
Manchester United will be hoping to bounce back from Wednesday night's shock defeat to Grimsby Town when they welcome Burnley to Old Trafford in the Premier League this afternoon.
United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the second round stage by the League Two Mariners, losing 12-11 on penalties after the contest had finished 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes.
Head coach Ruben Amorim was absolutely furious with his side's performance at Blundell Park, meaning he will be determined to see a much-needed response against Burnley, who are back in the Premier League after clinching promotion from the Championship last term.
Ahead of this afternoon's tussle at Old Trafford, here are five pre-match talking points:
A must-win game
Can you have a must-win game four games into the season? Well, United have got one this afternoon.
Following Wednesday night's events against Grimsby, United need to respond by securing their first Premier League victory of the season and head into the first international break of the season on a positive note.
United have failed to win any of their opening three matches in league and cup this season, meaning pressure is already increasing on Amorim. The prospect of going into the first hiatus of the season having failed to record a victory of any kind will generate huge levels of backlash from supporters.
The Portuguese chief, who said in his pre-match press conference yesterday that "sometimes he wants to quit", knows the pressure will only intensify if his team fails to pick up three points against Scott Parker's team. Clashes with Manchester City (A) and Chelsea (H) immediately follow the international break.
Will Mainoo start?
Ahead of the transfer window closing at 7pm on Monday evening, Kobbie Mainoo's future is shaping up to be a big topic. At yesterday's pre-match press conference, Amorim outlined just how determined he is to keep him amid the midfielder's interest in leaving on loan.
Kobbie Mainoo in action for Manchester United against Grimsby Town.
Kobbie Mainoo will be eyeing a first league start of the season.
If Amorim is so determined to keep him, he should consider starting him in the Premier League for the first time this term. He was an unused substitute against both Arsenal and Fulham.
With United in desperate need of a victory, they need as many forward-thinking players on the pitch as possible. Despite claiming last weekend that Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes are competing for the same role, Amorim should deploy them as a partnership.
Attack is the best form of defence and United need to get on the front foot from the off against Burnley to get the crowd up after such a forgettable showing in midweek.
Time to unleash the dream attack
Had the clash with Grimsby gone according to plan from the start, there is a strong likelihood Bryan Mbeumo would have remained on the bench. However, Amorim had to call upon him at half-time and he got United back into the game with his first goal for the club.
Fellow summer signings Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko started at Blundell Park, highlighting the level of quality United had on the pitch, but they were, just like the rest of their teammates, largely ineffective.
Nevertheless, they have been brought to Old Trafford to try and increase United's attacking output, meaning Amorim must persevere with them. With that said, the time has come for him to deploy Mbeumo, Cunha and Sesko as a front-three from the start for the first time.
Benjamin Sesko in action for Manchester United against Arsenal.
Benjamin Sesko is yet to start in the Premier League.
Sesko has not started a Premier League game since arriving from RB Leipzig, appearing from the bench against both Arsenal and Fulham, meaning the time has come for him to spearhead the attack in the league for the first time.
Who goes in goal?
After being given the opportunity to try and reclaim the gloves from Altay Bayindir against Grimsby, Andre Onana made a hash of his chances. After failing to cover himself in glory for the Mariners' opener, he dropped a clanger for their second goal.
As a result, Amorim may lean towards recalling Bayindir after offering such a staunch defence of him after the opening day defeat to Arsenal. The Turkish international has started United's last three Premier League games either side of the summer break.
Ahead of the transfer window closing in a couple of days time, United must sign a new goalkeeper. Failure to do so could prove to be very costly.
Aiming to avoid equalling a record
Having lost to Arsenal and drawn with Fulham, United desperately need three points this afternoon to go into the international break on a high. The last time they failed to win any of their opening three Premier League matches was back in 2014/15.
Funnily enough, their third league game of the campaign that season was also against Burnley, and came just days after an embarrassing League Cup exit. Following that infamous 4-0 defeat at MK Dons 11 years ago, United drew 0-0 with Burnley at Turf Moor four days later.
The prospect of another goalless draw with the Clarets this afternoon does not bear thinking about. United need to put on a performance this afternoon and start correcting their league record under Amorim.
Only three times in the Premier League era have United failed to win any of their opening three games.