Manchester United are now managed by Erik ten Hag which changes the appeal of Utd players in FPL.
This change brings a new philosophy to the club, with the Dutchman favouring a 4-3-3 possession and high pressing system. This system won him two consecutive Eredivisie titles at Ajax.
For some players in the squad, this is good news, as they’re suited to this style of play and therefore could become good options in FPL this season.
Man Utd have good fixtures in GW1 and GW2 but then face Liverpool followed by a couple of awkward away assignments.
So who’s a good asset and who’s not?
Cristiano Ronaldo
There are rumours that Ronaldo could be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer.
CR7 was their top scorer last season with 18 goals (third most in the league) and had the fourth highest xG per 90 too (0.6).
However, ten Hag likes his teams to press high, and the 37 year old isn’t physically capable of doing that. Ronaldo ranks bottom in Europe’s top 5 leagues for pressures per 90 (6.54).
The Portuguese international hasn’t been involved in pre-season, with GW1 just two and a half weeks away.
It’s a hard no on the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner – at least to start with.
Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes has had a price drop this season, down to £10.0m.
His last season was objectively good, scoring 151 points, but not by his or United’s standards.
He’s the most creative midfielder according to FPL’s creativity index, registering 6 assists, playing the second most key passes (88), and shot-creating actions (145). Consequentially resulting in the 5th highest xA (8.4).
Bruno scored 10 times too, taking 87 shots overall (7th most).
With no goals so far in United’s friendlies, he may be taking time to adjust to the new style of play. So for that reason, he’s a wait and see.
Jadon Sancho
It was a disappointing debut season for Sancho, getting only three goals and four assists.
Although he was the best of a bad bunch, having the second most xA (4.2) and key passes (41) in the team.
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Per 90, he also had 3.9 shot-creating actions and 0.4 goal-creating actions, clearly demonstrating his creative ability.
He gets close to the opponents goal, having 116 touches in the opposition box (second most in the team), allowing him to always be a threat.
However, at £7.5m there are better midfield options out there if you can spare £0.5m extra.
Anthony Martial
Update: Martial is unlikely to feature in GW1.
Martial could be United’s preferred striker this season. He has started all three friendlies so far, scoring in each.
Last term he played 8 times for the Red Devils, starting twice, scoring 0.4 goals per 90, and providing 0.9 goal-creating actions per 90 too (most in the team).
If he’s trusted by the new boss we could see a return to his 2019/20 form, where he scored 17 goals.
For now, he’s another wait-and-see, maybe if he starts the season well he could become a good option at £7.0m.
Should Ronaldo stay at Old Trafford, it’s hard to see Martial keeping him out of the team for too long.
Marcus Rashford
Rashford is priced at a surprisingly low £6.5m this season as he didn’t play much last campaign through injury.
He’s currently the most owned United player at 12% due to the pricing and is definitely a good option this season.
Whilst in the team he scored four times and claimed two assists. The fourth most returns per 90 (0.4) in the squad for players with over 1,000 minutes played.
Rashford could become a great goalscoring midfield option this year.
Of all Man Utd players, he looks to be the best value pick so far.
Christian Eriksen
Eriksen is an excellent signing for United after performing so well at Brentford last season.
At the Bees he produced a goal and four assists, boasting the highest non-penalty xG + xA per 90 in the squad (0.48).
The Dane has plenty of creativity. Last term he made 0.4 assists, 3.1 key passes, and 0.7 goal-creating actions per 90.
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He will however have lots of competition and may rotate with them due to being in the Europa League too.
A good pick if he nails down a starting place and even more so if he’s used in a somewhat attacking role.
Diogo Dalot
Dalot found himself in the starting 11 under Ralf Rangnick, playing 24 matches.
The full-back isn’t the best going forward. Despite making 46 crosses (third most in the team), he didn’t register a single assist, having an xA per 90 of 0.1.
Also, their defence was leaky, conceding 57 (8th most) and only keeping 8 clean sheets.
This could improve under ETH, who prioritises possession and controlling the game.
But for now, there are far better options for £4.5m.