Erik ten Hag takes his Manchester United side to Aston Villa on Sunday, looking to extend a remarkable unbeaten run in the West Midlands.
The Red Devils haven’t lost at Villa Park in a Premier League game since 1995, when Ian Taylor, Mark Draper and future United star Dwight Yorke overwhelmed Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in a 3-1 win.
It’s been 27 years of United domination thereafter, although Villa did snaffle a Philippe Coutinho inspired point when the two sides last met in January – a game that saw the hosts fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2.
United go into Sunday’s meeting in good spirits. They have won three of their last five Premier League games, drawing the other two, while Villa are at the wrong end of the table after a difficult start to the season.
There’s also the added edge of former Arsenal boss Unai Emery taking charge of his first game as Aston Villa head coach, following his appointment as Steven Gerrard’s successor.
One piece of good news for the Spaniard is that United are missing Bruno Fernandes through suspension. The Portuguese playmaker has shown signs of getting back to his best in recent weeks, but misses out on Sunday after accumulating five yellow cards in the first 12 Premier League games of the season.
“Yes, until now, Bruno is so important for us,” Ten Hag told United’s official website about Fernandes’ performances to date, in the build up to the game. “In every match, he plays really good.
“I think also yesterday [vs Real Sociedad], he was playing from the right, he made an impact there as well. You see, for instance, with the goal and also some other actions.
“As a No.10, he’s playing really good games and we have to replace him, that’s the squad. Therefore, you need a squad, it’s not about 11 players, you need a squad to win in a season and now we have to replace him and we will do.”
So what options does Ten Hag have to replace him?
Fred is the most obvious candidate to come into the side, where he’d partner up with Casemiro and Christian Eriksen. The Brazilian doesn’t offer the same attacking flair that Fernandes does – nor the range of passing – but he played exceptionally well against Tottenham Hotspur in a more advanced midfield role and seems the best fit.
The 29-year-old is also a tremendous presser and has high energy, which will play into United’s hands nicely if they look to wrestle back possession high up the pitch.
Scott McTominay is another more defensive minded option, should Ten Hag want to shore things up a tad more, while Donny van de Beek is another potential pick – though he’s yet to show the kind of form that made him a favourite under Ten Hag at Ajax.
Whoever replaces Fernandes has a tough act to follow, even though the Portugal star is not firing on all cylinders like he was during the 2020/21 season. He scored 28 goals in all competitions in that period, and was also a prolific assister for Marcus Rashford among others.
Fernandes has started drifting into pockets of space once more, and has also affected the game from the flanks. Moreover, the 28-year-old has the tools to unlock any defence should he spot a pass; something the options to replace him would appear to lack.
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