Man Utd could be in for ‘nightmare’ weekend according to Merson who makes Sancho prediction

Paul Merson thinks that Manchester United could be in for a tough weekend as they face Brighton at Old Trafford after the international break.

Erik ten Hag’s side have had an eventful start to the new campaign and they currently find themselves in the bottom half of the table.

Man Utd lost their last game before the international break as Arsenal managed to score two late goals to sink Ten Hag’s side.

The club have also had to deal with plenty of issues off the pitch as Jadon Sancho and Antony now both face a spell on the sidelines.

Things aren’t expected to get much easier for Ten Hag’s side either as they have a tricky game against Brighton up next.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side have started the new campaign well and Merson thinks that Man Utd could be in for a tricky afternoon.

“This game could turn out to be a bit of a nightmare for Manchester United as Brighton are a hard team to play against,” Merson told Sportskeeda.

“Erik ten Hag has a few issues to address and it’ll be interesting to see who starts up front at Old Trafford this weekend after Antony’s recent suspension.”

In the absence of Sancho and Antony, Pellistri could be handed a start by Ten Hag, but Merson has other ideas of how he thinks they will line up.

“There have been reports that Facundo Pellistri is in line for a start, but I think Marcus Rashford will be joined by Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund up front,” Merson added.

“I like Garnacho and he’s likely to start, but he’s better off coming on as a substitute as I feel he’s more effective while running at tired legs.”

Man Utd recently clarified their stance on Sancho and confirmed that the winger will train away from the first team until the issue with him is resolved.

While plenty of fans and pundits have speculated that Sancho’s Man Utd career could be over, Merson doesn’t think that will be the case.

“Speculation surrounding Jadon Sancho’s future has dominated the headlines in recent weeks after a public back-and-forth involving Ten Hag,” Merson added.

“There have been reports that his Old Trafford career is as good as over, but I don’t think that’ll be the case.

“A lot can change between now and the January transfer window and with Manchester United desperately short of options in attack, Sancho could claw his way back into the manager’s plans if he sticks to his guns and works diligently.”

READ MORE: Ten Hag faces the biggest challenge of his career: turning this cursed Manchester United ship around