Erik ten Hag now has options in attack at Man United

Erik ten Hag now has elite Man United dilemma Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta got right

20 Sep 2024, 18:40 by Josh Holland · Manchester Evening News

After losing 3-0 to Liverpool before the international break, many at Manchester United were fearing for the worse. Erik ten Hag's men had started the new Premier League season with three points from a possible nine after consecutive defeats.

Fast forward three weeks and United are showing early signs of being back in full glow. A 3-0 win over Southampton last weekend showed great spirit after a tough opening 20 minutes before they thumped League One side Barnsley 7-0 in the Carabao Cup.

This weekend, they travel to Selhurst Park looking to redeem themselves after last season's 4-0 thumping. Palace are winless in their first four games and needed a late Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty to rescue a point against Leicester City.

Early signs would be that the Red Devils are favourites ahead of the 5.30pm kick-off in south London. As we all know, football isn't as simple as that but for the first time in a long time, Ten Hag has some big decisions to make.

United have six options in attack across different positions. Fortunately for them, the options are all firing and/or working with a point to prove. Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford have scored three goals in their last two games with Amad impressing so far and Antony, despite his low points, scoring in mid-week.

With the options tough out wide, Ten Hag also has a selection headache at centre-forward. Joshua Zirkzee has started two of the first four Premier League games and has proved to be a good piece of business so far. Now, Rasmus Hojlund is available for selection for the first time.

It's likely that Hojlund will start on the bench having only just returned to fitness meaning Zirkzee should get the nod. Depth is something elite teams have across the board and something Ten Hag has.

“You can’t have a squad where there are positions that we have only one player who can cover this. You need at least two players in every position who can cover this," he said. "Sometimes, it’s three for two and it’s okay when you have a very robust player.

"All the players will understand and then it’s about what is the best fit for the team by the end of the day. They have to prove that. They have to take responsibility – and that is the key word – to win games for your club.”

For the first time in a while, Ten Hag will be able to turn around and look at his players on the bench and feel confident in the options available to him. It's something that the Dutchman must use to his advantage.