United has been playing well lately, winning four and drawing one of their five games in 2024. However, Erik ten Hag’s team will face a big test on Sunday when they go to Villa Park.
It was great for Villa to play at home in 2023. In their last Premier League game, they beаt Sheffield United 5-0. However, Unai Emery’s team lost 3-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup last week and could be weak.
If United beats Villa, Ten Hag’s plan to get them back on track will suԀԀenly seem a lot more real. They are still eight points behind the top four. After Lisandro Martinez got hurt again and will be out for about two months, the Dutch manager has to decide who will play in central defense.
Ten Hag calls out to kids
Alexis Sánchez, Kobbie Mainoo, and Rasmus Hojlund, three of United’s younger players, have played very well lately, which has helped them get back on track. In the last seven games, these three players have scored 11 goals, which is a great run.
Ten Hag knows United has a past of building up young players and is happy with how they’re playing right now. “They like to play together, it’s fun, but they’re also dangerous,” he said.
“They want to play together and pass the ball to each other so that everyone can use their skills and score goals.” They should want to do it together; that’s what’s important. This will give us a lot of pleasure.
“These players are still young, but Manchester United has a bright future with so much talent on board. But you have to help the talent grow.” You can do a lot better, which is important if you want to reach the greatest heights.
Contract choices have not been made
When Ten Hag met with the press before Sunday’s game against Villa, they asked him about Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans’ futures. Both center-backs’ contracts are up in the summer, and United could lose them for free if they can’t come to a deal. “That choice hasn’t been made yet,” Ten Hag said.
Around the beginning of the year, United didn’t exercise an option in Varane’s contract that would have given him a one-year extension on the same terms. Evans, on the other hand, only got a one-year deal after leaving Leicester at the end of last season. A lot will depend on what INEOS decides to do this summer.
Antony is bet on by Agbonlahor.
Gabri Agbonlahor doesn’t like Antony, the winger for United. For the 2022–23 season, he put him on his “flop of the season team” and called him a “embarrassing bluffer.”
Antony has played 19 times in the Premier League this season and hasn’t scored or set up a goal yet. Agbonlahor is sure that Antony won’t break his duck against United.
A caller and the talkSPORT host have a bet that if the host scores, he has to wear a United shirt with Antony’s nаme on the back. Antony scored and set up a goal in United’s 4-2 FA Cup win over Newport County, which was his first goal-related input of the season. However, he probably won’t start on Sunday.