Manchester United vs Tottenham combined XI

Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United - Premier League
De Gea in action against Brighton

After Arsenal's matches against Manchester City and Chelsea in the first two matchdays, the biggest match this weekend will be Tottenham's visit to Manchester United on Monday night.

After a very unimpressive transfer window in which they became the first team in Premier League history to have not signed a single player in the summer transfer window, Spurs managed to hit back at some of their critics with comfortable wins over Newcastle and Fulham.

Manchester United are having a bit of a nightmare though after they lost 3-2 away to Brighton. All the optimism from their opening day win over Leicester was swept away by the Seagulls in an incredible first half at the Amex Stadium.

Spurs come into this match as clear favourites in spite of playing away from home, but United have beaten them the last four times they met in the Premier League at Old Trafford.

With the likes of Victor Wanyama, Nemanja Matic, Antonio Valencia and Alexis Sanchez possibly returning from injuries, we take a look at a combined United vs Spurs XI.

GK: David De Gea

De Gea has endured a bit of a rough patch recently, after a poor World Cup, and he conceded 3 times to a Brighton team that scored only 34 goals last season.

Lloris, on the other hand, ended the summer as world champion with France, but even when he's not playing well, its hard to look beyond last season's Golden Glove winner.

De Gea will have his task cut out for him on Monday, facing the likes of Kane, Erisken and Alli, and Mourinho will be hoping the Spaniard can find his form once again.

RB: Kieran Trippier (Tottenham)

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham - Premier League
Trippier celebrates his stunning free kick against Fulham

Trippier's rise over the last few months has been absolutely mercurial. He was phenomenal at the World Cup, playing a pivotal role in England's run to the semi-finals.

He was rested for Spurs' win over Newcastle, but made a return against Fulham, and even scored a delightful free kick.

United have had problems at right back for a while now. Matteo Darmian was unimpressive against Leicester, and so was Ashley Young against Brighton. Valencia and Diogo Dalot are still recovering from injuries, making this a much easier decision.

CB: Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham)

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham - Premier League
Sanchez tussles with Mitrovic for the ball

There were question marks over Sanchez when Pochettino signed him from Ajax last summer, but he's proven to be an inspired signing for Spurs.

Against all odds, he displaced Alderweireld as the first choice centre back, and will probably start on Monday. He also enjoyed a productive World Cup with Colombia, playing in all four of their matches.

Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof were decent against Leicester but were absolutely awful against Brighton, and based on current form, neither of them make it into this XI.

CB: Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham)

Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Vertonghen scored in Spurs' 2-1 win over Newcastle

One of the best centre-backs in the Premier League right now, Vertonghen has played in both of Tottenham's matches so far in spite of some residual World Cup fatigue.

Its unsure whether Pochettino will opt for a 4- or 3-man defence at Old Trafford, but Vertonghen will certainly be one of the first names on his team sheet.

With Hugo Lloris recently being arrested for drunk driving, and with rumours about him being stripped of his captaincy, Vertonghen might even find himself leading Spurs out on to the pitch on Monday.

LB: Luke Shaw (Man Utd)

This is a close one between Shaw and Ben Davies, but the former narrowly edges out the Wales international on numbers. Shaw is ahead on duels won, tackle success rate, and passing accuracy so far.

In what has been a miserable start to the new Premier League season for Mourinho, Shaw has been one of the few positives to take away. The 23-year-old put in a lot of hard work in pre-season and is reaping the rewards now.

The former Southampton star's career at United hasn't gone according to plan, but if he puts in a good performance against Spurs, his future at Old Trafford might finally be in his own hands.

CDM: Nemanja Matic (Man Utd)

Serbia v Brazil: Group E - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
Mourinho will be praying for Matic to be fit by Monday

Tottenham's options in midfield currently are limited to Eric Dier, Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama, with Moussa Dembele's future still up in the air, and that's why Matic gets in ahead of them in spite of not being 100% fit yet.

Matic was one of United's best outfield players last season, expertly shielding the defence and starting attacks from the back. His absence was sorely felt last Sunday, as Brighton picked apart Mourinho's midfield with embarrassing ease.

New signing Fred has not justified his price tag so far, and still has some work to do. If Matic is deemed fit to play on Monday, he should start ahead of the Brazilian.

CM: Paul Pogba (Man Utd)

Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United - Premier League
Pogba nets his second of the season against Brighton

Pogba himself admitted after the loss to Brighton that his attitude wasn't right, but even when he isn't in form, he is one of the best midfielders in England.

He did put on a splendid performance against Leicester, which shows that his consistency is the issue and not his talent. He has also captained United in both their matches so far, but will need to show the same leadership qualities he displayed with France at the World Cup.

Tottenham will prove to be very hard to break down, and Mourinho will need Pogba to be at his creative best on Monday, while also remembering his duties elsewhere on the pitch.

CM: Dele Alli (Tottenham)

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham - Premier League
Dele in action against Fulham

Alli received criticism for an uneventful World Cup with England, but the 22-year-old has always been better for Tottenham than for his country.

He's already scored this season and will look to build upon a rather underwhelming 2017/18 campaign when he scored just 9 goals (as compared to 18 goals in the season before that).

While his quirky celebrations might be diverting the attention away from his performances on the pitch, United and Mourinho simply cannot afford to take him lightly.

LW: Christian Erisken (Tottenham)

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham - Premier League
Tottenham's playmaker supreme

Eriksen is yet to score or assist this season, but he is still one of the most underrated playmakers in the league.

The Danish midfielder was also brilliant at the World Cup, and in spite of having made no new signings this summer, Pochettino will be delighted to have managed to hold on to one of his most prized assets.

His link-up play with Kane and Alli remains as dangerous as ever, and he will be relishing the thought of going up against an unsettled Manchester United defence.

ST: Harry Kane (Tottenham)

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham - Premier League
He can score in August!

Kane is another player that Spurs managed to hold onto this summer, and he's finally broken his August blues by scoring against Fulham.

Lukaku was fantastic for Belgium in Russia and displayed some of the other qualities he brings on to the pitch apart from goals. But Kane still managed to outscore him with England and will be looking forward to reclaiming the Golden Boot from Mo Salah.

Pochettino will hope that the England captain can keep up his scoring form. Bailly and Lindelof are in for a nightmare on Monday.

RW: Lucas Moura (Tottenham)

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham - Premier League
Lucas celebrates scoring his first Premier League goal

With Son Heung-min representing his country at the Asian Games hoping to avoid mandatory military service, Lucas Moura finally had a chance to prove his worth at Tottenham.

So far he's done a good job filling the South Korean's shoes, scoring a stunning goal against Fulham with his weaker left foot. United's options here are Sanchez and Mata, but they simply haven't done enough to warrant a place in this XI.

His pace and energy could prove to be a problem for United's defence. With all the focus on the Kane-Eriksen-Alli trio, Lucas could prove to be a valuable wild card for Pochettino.

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