Manchester United begin the 2015/16 season with a home clash against Tottenham Hotspur. They will be hoping for a repeat of the tie which took place in March, when the visitors were emphatically beaten 3-0.
Louis van Gaal has a couple of major absences to deal with, none more so than David de Gea who has been ruled out by the manager. With rumours of a move to Real Madrid persisting, van Gaal claimed that the speculation has affected the Spaniard’s focus: “I want players who can focus only on the match and he is not capable to do that”.
That means the goalkeeping jersey is up for grabs and van Gaal must choose between Sergio Romero, Anders Lindegaard and Sam Johnstone. Considering Romero has only recently arrived and Lindegaard has fallen down the pecking order, a first team debut for 22-year-old Sam Johnstone looks the most likely outcome.
New signing Bastian Schweinsteiger and Argentine defender Marcos Rojo are also unavailable for selection. Schweinsteiger is still searching for full fitness since arriving from Bayern Munich and Rojo came back to pre-season training later than everyone else following his involvement in Argentina’s run to the Copa America final.
We will be tweeting live throughout the match and will reveal the starting line-up as soon as it is released.
