Manchester United 2019/20 season preview: Full Premier League fixture list, latest betting odds and transfer news for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side

By Sporting Life

Football

Fri August 09, 2019 · 5y ago

Check out our comprehensive Manchester United new season guide including big fixtures, transfer news and big questions to answer.

Man Utd's big fixtures

Chelsea (H) Aug 11
Liverpool (H) Oct 19
Tottenham (H) Dec 3
Man City (A) Dec 7
Liverpool (A) Jan 18
Chelsea (A) Feb 8
Man City (H) Mar 7
Tottenham (A) Mar 14

Click here for Manchester United's full fixture list for the 2019/20 season

Last season at a glance

Where do we start!? To say rollercoaster is a bit of an understatement as Jose Mourinho went from bad to worse before defeat at Liverpool saw him finally put out of his misery. Solskjaer provided a huge new manager bounce, as well as one of the best European nights for some time in Paris, but it faded away badly as United failed to make the top four and the finishing stretch offer more questions than answers about their young new manager. Hope and expectation turned to concern and doubt about Solskjaer's credentials and just feeling that maybe the club gave him the full-time job too soon.

Big questions for 2019/20

Is Ole for real? Was a question we thought had been emphatically answered by the Norwegian who was an underwhelming and questionable appointment as caretaker but who smashed records with a pulsating start to his tenure. It was too much for the club to ignore and he got the job full-time, but that poor finish made some wonder whether it was the right move, as they could well have been welcoming Mauricio Pochettino as their new boss this summer. Solskjaer now has the biggest test of his career coming this summer, with expectation being huge on his shoulders he has to prove that he is up to the task.

Can the Premier League top six stranglehold be broken this season?

Who are Man Utd? There's a real emphasis on youth under Solskjaer, but will he be given enough time to implement this policy and allow his young guns to grow into their roles as United flag bearers? Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James were steps in the right direction while Harry Maguire's arrival is promising defensively, but what about the huge question mark that is Paul Pogba? He's still at Old Trafford but had been expected to leave all summer long and how he plays next season may well decide United and Solskjaer's future. United have always had a clear identity and style of play until recent years, instilling that, and a more hard-working culture at the club is arguably the most important thing for Solskjaer to get right.

Star man - Marcus Rashford

He's going to be Man Utd's leading man this season with Romelu Lukaku gone, and if anyone will benefit from having Solskjaer on the training pitch then it's the young England striker. He has continually shown flashes of brilliance but also not been given the consistent run in the side, and in his referred position, to really grow and find his game. He's certainly a talent though and if the team can set-up to play to his strengths then he could be vital for them this season.

Solskjaer often favoured playing on the break last season, especially away from home, and Rashford's pace, finishing, and one-on-one ability to go beyond defenders make him ideal for that system. He needs help, of course, to deliver but Rashford has everything needed to be challenging for Golden Boot honours if conditions are right.

Man Utd special bets

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Major transfer activity

Ins: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace, initial £45m), Daniel James (Swansea, £18m), Harry Maguire (Leicester, £80m)

Outs: Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan, £74m) Ander Herrera (PSG, free), Antonia Valencia (LDU Quito, free), James Wilson (Aberdeen, free), Regan Poole (MK Dons, free), Matty Willock (Gillingham, free), Matthew Olosunde (Rotherham, free), Kieran O'Hara (Burton, loan)

Man Utd 2019/20 squad

1 David de Gea; 22 Sergio Romero; 40 Joel Pereira; 13 Lee Grant; 2 Victor Lindelöf; 3 Eric Bailly; 4 Phil Jones; 5 Harry Maguire; 12 Chris Smalling; 16 Marcos Rojo; 38 Axel Tuanzebe; 23 Luke Shaw; 18 Ashley Young; 43 Cameron Borthwick-Jackson; 29 Aaron Wan-Bissaka; 20 Diogo Dalot; 36 Matteo Darmian; 24 Timothy Fosu-Mensah; 31 Nemanja Matic; 6 Paul Pogba; 17 Fred; 39 Scott McTominay; 8 Juan Mata; 15 Andreas Pereira; 11 Anthony Martial; 7 Alexis Sánchez; 21 Daniel James; 14 Jesse Lingard; 10 Marcus Rashford; 9 Romelu Lukaku

Manager - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Nothing wrong with the start to his Manchester United tenure, but once that euphoria faded and he got the job full-time, United seemed to switch off, was that a sign that the dressing room still rules the roost at Old Trafford? It certainly was a worry and he'll be hoping to make a flying start to the new season, with a favourable few games to kick-off the campaign with.

Solskjaer was certainly a good talker, he obviously 'gets' the club and wants to install the right mentality and work ethic within the squad - he's mentioned more than once that his squad needs to be fitter to match the Premier League's best sides, it's just a question of whether his side will follow his lead.

The other big question is whether he can handle the pressure, as it's still been a largely positive welcome for him, and he's got great credit with the fans for his playing exploits, but that'll only last so long if results don't go his way quickly.