Spurs will be visiting Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, where Manchester United will play. So that they can have a good start to 2024, Erik ten Hag will need to get his team back to winning ways in the league. They already beat Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.

United has had a huge illness problem at the beginning of the season. At least four defenders and some senior midfielders have been out at the same time, which has caused them a lot of trouble.

United no longer has to worry about injuries, so the players will need to get back to work and start getting results to try and finish the season much better than they began. Spurs got off to a good start, but they have since dropped spots in the league. Now they are in fifth place, eight points behind United.

Onana is the goalie.

Andre Onana is going to play against Spurs before going to the Ivory Coast to play for Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations. To beat Spurs, United will need to have a good defense, which means that every part of the team has to be strong, which is a tall order.

This season, Onana hasn’t been great for United. He’s let in a lot of goals across all tournaments, which has kept them out of the Champions League and the Carabao Cup. However, they are now in the fourth round of the FA Cup and are eighth in the Premier League.

Altay Bayindir will miss another game for United, but he could make his long-awaited start in the last game of January, either against Newport County or Eastleigh. He could play in goal until Onana returns from the African Cup of Nations.

Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, and Shaw are the defenders.

It looks like United’s injury woes are over. Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw could both be back in action on Sunday, which would make the back four stronger for a tough game against Spurs. United lost 2-0 to the North London club earlier this season.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Shaw could both play fullback against Spurs. This would be the best choice for Ten Hag before the game, but Diogo Dalot could play in either spot if needed. Before this game, United would love to have Shaw back.

United could start Raphael Varane and Martinez together again in the middle of the defense. They worked well together last season until Martinez got hurt. This season, United has made a lot of changes to their defense, which is why they have given up so many goals.

In the middle, Casemiro and Eriksen

A lot of injuries have happened in United’s middle this season. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, who are the team’s first-choice pair, have both been out for a while. The new player that was signed this summer, Mason Mount, has also been out for a long time.

All three are back or very close to being back, which is great for this team. Casemiro and Eriksen might play together in the middle of the field against Spurs, which would be great because United needs security, knowledge, and skill in that area.

There are a lot of players United can use. Kobbie Mainoo and Scott McTominay are two examples. They can also use bright young players like Omari Forson and Daniel Gore if they are both needed. The second half of the season could be good.

Attacking midfielders: Fernandes, Amad, and Garnacho

There should be enough aggressive midfielders in the team to control the last third of the field, set up goals and assists, and get the ball to the striker when he needs it. So far, though, that hasn’t quite turned out the way it should have on paper.

Amad Diallo didn’t play in the FA Cup win over Wigan, but he should be back for this game. United shouldn’t loan him out this season because he’s better than Antony, who hasn’t done well. He should start all of his games and speed up his progress at United.

If United wants to beat Spurs, they should also start Bruno Fernandes because they will need his knowledge, skill, and most importantly, guidance. He should want to make a huge difference. What a great player Alejandro Garnacho is! He should start on the left wing.

Move forward: Hojlund

Rasmus Hojlund has done a good job for United so far this season, but he needs to do even better. For the season, he has scored six goals, and he will be looking to score more in the next games. He won’t be able to play against Spurs because he missed the FA Cup win over Wigan.

Hojlund is a good scorer who will find his way at United this season. Always going to be hard for him because of all the expectations on him and the fact that he has to deal with Martial, who doesn’t seem to be in it and can’t lead the line for United. United needs better friends who are rivals.

United will have to play with Rashford as the only striker if Hojlund can’t play, which isn’t ideal because he doesn’t get enough chances to be dangerous as a striker. He’s better on the left wing, but Garnacho is in much better shape right now.