Manchester United face a dramatically rebuilt Hull City side in their Premier League opener, but Michael Carrick could have one major weakness to exploit despite the hosts spending around £78million this summer.
Hull have added 11 players since winning promotion, creating a very different opponent from the team United’s analysts watched in the Championship last season.
That overhaul presents Carrick with an unusual preparation problem five days before his first full Premier League campaign begins.
Hull City’s £78m rebuild gives Man Utd a scouting headache
Newly-promoted opponents normally arrive in the Premier League with a reasonably familiar core.
Hull are different.
The Guardian’s new season preview reports that Sergej Jakirovic’s side have completed 11 signings for around £78m and would still like to add several more players.
That means United cannot simply rely on footage from Hull’s promotion campaign.
Different combinations, new roles and an altered tactical approach could all feature at the MKM Stadium on Saturday, giving Carrick’s staff only a limited amount of evidence about the team they will actually face.
There is another factor to consider.
Hull’s first Premier League home game since promotion should create an intense atmosphere, particularly after a remarkable campaign in which they overcame a transfer embargo and eventually won promotion through the play-offs.
United therefore need to start quickly rather than giving the hosts encouragement.
One huge Hull weakness should encourage Carrick
The spending does not erase Hull’s defensive record.
Jakirovic’s team conceded 66 league goals during their promotion campaign, despite ultimately finding a way into the Premier League.
Adding new defenders should improve that record, but rebuilding a back line also creates its own problems.
Defensive partnerships take time to develop, particularly when players are learning each other’s positioning and communication under competitive pressure.
Hull’s preparations have also been complicated by an injury to goalkeeper Jack Butland, another significant issue highlighted in The Guardian’s Hull preview.
That gives United a clear incentive to attack the opening game aggressively.
Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Matheus Cunha have the movement to test a defence still developing an understanding, while Bruno Fernandes should have opportunities if Carrick’s side can establish control high up the pitch.
AC Milan defeat makes opening 20 minutes crucial
United have their own problems to solve.
Carrick’s side twice led AC Milan before losing 4-2 in their final pre-season friendly, with ReadManUtd identifying three major concerns from the defeat.
Allowing Saturday’s opener to become similarly stretched would play into the emotion surrounding Hull’s return to the Premier League.
Instead, Carrick should want United to expose the uncertainty created by such a large turnover of players before Hull have time to settle.
The £78m rebuild makes Jakirovic’s side more dangerous than a typical newly-promoted opponent.
It also makes them less predictable.
United’s challenge is to ensure Hull’s 11 new signings become an early-season vulnerability rather than an opening-day surprise.
