Manchester United make their return to the Champions League proper on Tuesday, having sat last season out after failing to qualify. Their first opponents are Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven.
Louis van Gaal’s men travel to the Netherlands with captain Wayne Rooney a doubt for the game through injury. It’ll be a tricky test – but who are the Dutch side’s most important players? We took a look…
1) Luciano Narsingh
With Memphis having left the club this summer (I wonder where he went?), Luciano Narsingh is now PSV’s best source of width and pace. The Netherlands international has 17 goals in 75 Eredivisie appearances for his current side and 3 goals in 14 appearances for his national team. He provided the most assists in the league (22) in the 2011-12 campaign as a Heerenveen player.
2) Andres Guardado
Once the most expensive Mexican player ever, Guardado plays as either a wing-back, a left midfielder or a central midfielder for the Dutch outfit. He spent last season on loan to the club from Spanish side Valencia but signed a permanent deal at the Phillips Stadion this summer. Probably the best passer of the ball in the PSV side, Guardado will be the catalyst for them on Tuesday.
3) Jeffrey Bruma
This 23-year-old defender already seems to have been around for a long time; he’s a talented boy. Bearing a slight resemblance to Nemanja Vidic, he’s also a no-nonsense centre-back who loves a tough tackle. He’s also a good dribbler of the ball and he’ll likely be bringing the ball out of defence at his feet. He’ll be a big threat at set-pieces, where Smalling will likely be marking him.
