Eriksen to start
United need to freshen things up after Thursday night, and it seems certain that one change will come in the form of Christian Eriksen.
The 31-year-old was an unused substitute against Brighton, and despite regularly warming up on the touchline, he was never called upon by his manager.
Eriksen has been a star performer for United during his debut season, but his removal from the team at Brighton was a reminder of his shortcomings against a team that presses with intensity, as the more mobile Fred and Marcel Sabitzer got minutes ahead of him.
He should be better suited to the challenge of facing West Ham, and it would be a surprise if he was on the bench again.
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Garnacho to return
Ten Hag told Alejandro Garnacho that the demands on him would be higher after he signed a new deal, and he could get the first chance to rise to that challenge today.
The 18-year-old has been sidelined for two months with an ankle injury but resumed squad training last week and could be back in the United side against West Ham.
Garnacho is already a proven gamechanger at such a young age, and based on United's recent performances, he might be required to make something happen again tonight.
He deserves huge credit for the quality he has shown at such a young age, but now he must begin to make the tricky transition from promising youngster to reliable senior option.
Rashford a little rusty
Marcus Rashford will still be a leading contender for United's own player of the season award, but he's gone under the radar a little bit in recent weeks with a drop-off in form.
He has scored just four goals in his last 14 appearances, which is concerning given that he is most likely to start today as a striker, given the lack of viable alternatives.
His recent struggles are a reminder that even if United do add an elite striker to their side this summer, their hopes of winning a Premier League title will also rely on getting more from their wide men.
Rashford's four Premier League goals against West Ham have been as a substitute, his most goals from the bench against an opponent in the competition. They'll want him to get one from the start tonight.
Hammers' poor home form
United's away form has been a problem this season, but today they face a team that has the opposite problem. West Ham are winless in three Premier League home games, conceding nine goals in these matches.
To make matters worse for them, United have won seven of their last eight meetings with West Ham in all competitions, with this being the third consecutive campaign the two sides have met at least three times. United have won both previous meetings this season and all three in 2020-21.
Grinding out gritty wins
United's defeat by Brighton raised further questions about their poor record away from home against the best sides, but there is a crumb of comfort in their record against the lower teams.
They may have taken just one point from their away matches against the top nine sides in the Premier League, but they've taken 19 from their seven away trips against the bottom nine.
In fact, Ten Hag's side are unbeaten in all of their 16 matches against sides in the bottom half this season, winning 12 of those fixtures.
They need to get back on track with another win tonight, and while it might not be pretty, they definitely have a knack for doing just that.
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