The Premier League is back. After a tedious, extended three-week break for international football, the club game is back upon us this weekend, and it returns with a bang.
Champions Arsenal look to get back to winning ways on Saturday lunchtime as they host an unbeaten Leeds United side at the Emirates. However, the main event of the day comes later in the evening.
Manchester United are winless in the Premier League since their 5-2 victory over Ipswich in late August and they take on a Tottenham side who are yet to pick up a single win in the league campaign at Old Trafford.
Both have had extremely underwhelming starts to the season, with Spurs sitting rock bottom of the table despite dishing out more than £300million in the summer to bolster their squad, while United have picked up just five points from a possible 15.
Sofascore have put together a combined XI of the best-performing players from both sets of squads, with average ratings accrued from all competitions this campaign.
So, who has made it? Daily Mail Sport takes a look.
Manchester United return to Premier League action against Spurs at Old Trafford on Sunday
Goalkeeper – Senne Lammens (Man United)
In between the sticks is the man who has solved all of Manchester United’s problems in that department, Senne Lammens. The Belgian may have shipped eight goals this season, but that is largely down to the struggling backline in front of him.
Lammens was brought in for £21.7million last term to replace the outgoing Andre Onana, who endured a nightmare in Manchester. He picked up eight clean sheets in his debut season and produced impressive performances against the likes of rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
And while he only has one clean sheet in eight games in all competitions this campaign, the error-prone Antonin Kinsky has left little to be desired in his first season as No1 at Tottenham.
Sofascore rating: 7.10
Right-back – Pedro Porro (Tottenham)
Fresh off his World Cup triumph with Spain in the summer, in which he contributed heavily with a goal against France in the semi-final, Pedro Porro was probably filled with optimism when joining up with a new-look Tottenham side.
That optimism dissipated rather quickly, with Spurs losing three of their opening five Premier League matches and drawing the other two. The results have already led to Porro unearthing his ugly side this season, with the Spanish defender losing it at Newcastle’s Bazoumana Toure for no apparent reason during a 2-0 home defeat in August.
Nevertheless, Sofascore has deemed Porro the best of a bad bunch at right-back, with the Tottenham man beating out Diogo Dalot to the spot in this combined XI. That’s despite the defender not yet managing to provide a single goal contribution this campaign.
Sofascore rating: 6.60
Pedro Porro has been the best right-back of a bad bunch from these two teams this season
Centre-back – Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham)
Alongside Porro is one of the signings that was brought in to turn things around, Jan Paul van Hecke. The Dutchman was brought in for £52m from Brighton to shore up the Spurs defence, and in some ways, he has done that.
Van Hecke has been a mainstay in the Tottenham defece and shone when picking up back-to-back clean sheets against Nottingham Forest and Everton. But with his team-mates struggling at the other end, his efforts are yet to bear fruits with results.
Sofascore rating: 7.70
Centre-back – Lisandro Martinez (Man United)
It’s not often a team who has shipped eight goals in five Premier League games gets a defender in a combined XI, but Lisandro Martinez’s inclusion here shows just how poor both teams have been.
Martinez has featured in five games in all competitions this season following an intense summer, in which he reached the World Cup final with Argentina. His only clean sheet came against Azerbaijani side Sabah FK, a game in which he also scored.
Sofascore rating: 7.12
Left-back – Destiny Udogie (Tottenham)
Andy Robertson may feel a little hard done by here. He has started all but one Premier League match for Tottenham this season since arriving from Liverpool on a free, only being benched for Destiny Udogie against Nottingham Forest and for his return to Anfield in the Carabao Cup.
Sofascore haven’t deemed his performances worthy of a spot in this side, though. Udogie’s 209 minutes of action have been deemed more impactful than both Robertson’s and Luke Shaw’s for United.
Sofascore rating: 6.78
Central midfield – Youri Tielemans (Man United)
This is where this team becomes the Manchester United show. They take up every single spot in the midfield, starting with £35m summer signing Youri Tielemans.
The Belgian has needed some time to adapt to Michael Carrick’s system, which relies on being quick in transition in short spells. But after a slow start, Tielemans does look to be getting sharper.
If the midfielder can start to perform anything like he did during his final season at Aston Villa, in which he he won the Europa League – scoring a beautiful strike in the final – then United not only have one hell of a player on their hands, but Tottenham’s midfield should be nervous ahead of Saturday’s trip.
Sofascore rating: 7.27
Youri Tielemans has started every single league match for Man United since joining in the summer
Central midfield – Kobbie Mainoo (Man United)
One of the Manchester United players who can hold their heads high this season is Kobbie Mainoo. The 21-year-old was an outsider at Old Trafford only a year ago, but these days he is the main man in the middle of the park.
Mainoo showcased his brilliance against Ipswich, Everton and Sabah in consecutive games after United’s opening day loss to Hull. He controlled the pace of all three matches, barely missing a pass.
The midfielder has a pass completion of 94 per cent in the Premier League this season, completing 278 of 296 attempted passes. No surprises here that he makes this side.
Sofascore rating: 7.33
Central midfield – Bruno Fernandes (Man United)
No combined XI involving Manchester United would be complete without Bruno Fernandes, would it? The Portuguese star is still the king of Old Trafford, and despite a slower than usual start to the season, he has still showcased his maverick nature on the pitch.
There was, of course, his impressive hat-trick in the 5-2 thumping of Ipswich Town – which remains United’s only league win this season – but he also showed his darker side in the incident that led to Phil Foden’s red card in the Manchester derby.
With five goal involvements in seven games in all competitions so far, it already appears clear that Fernandes will be relied on to dig United out of the shallow hole they currently find themselves in.
Sofascore rating: 7.50
Bruno Fernandes is United’s top scorer this season and bagged a hat-trick against Ipswich in August
Right-wing – Savio (Tottenham)
If you weren’t already confused by some of the names in this combined team, then you certainly will be. How the newly-dubbed Savio – previously being referred to as Savinho while at Manchester City – has managed to sneak his way into this side, I will never know.
The winger, whose £85m price tag from City in the summer surprised many, has failed to contribute in any of his three Premier League starts this season. Much of the same productivity problems that marred his spell at the Etihad are rearing their head again.
However, as these ratings are based on performances in all competitions, it must be because of his sparkling debut cameo in the Carabao Cup that has earned him his place. He scored 11 minutes into his first appearance against Charlton, before adding an accidental assist three minutes later.
Sofascore rating: 7.18
Left-wing – Marcus Rashford (Man United)
This team really is full of surprises, isn’t it?
Just a couple of weeks ago I was writing about Michael Owen bashing Marcus Rashford for being the ‘weak link’ in the Red Devils’ forward line, following a difficult return to life at Old Trafford. But that appears not to be the case.
The winger has shown flashes of brilliance at times early this season since returning to the club, following loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, but is yet to register a single goal or assist in over 400 minutes of football in all competitions.
Rashford notched up 25 goal contributions during his impressive but short stint at Barcelona, with 14 of those goals. United will want him to notch up something close to those numbers this campaign, but it is yet to be seen whether he can start chipping into those numbers against Spurs after he missed England duty due to injury.
Sofascore rating: 6.80
Marcus Rashford is yet to notch a goal or assist since returning to Man United from Barca
Centre forward – Matheus Cunha (Man United)
Last but not least, Matheus Cunha is the striker who has been entrusted with trying to find the back of the net in this hypothetical team.
Considering that only he and Benjamin Sesko have found the net out of the centre forwards in both teams in the Premier League this season, and Cunha is United’s current No1, there really wasn’t much competition.
His only goal of the league campaign so far was a last-gasp equaliser at Fulham before the international break, while he also bagged in the Red Devils 4-0 victory over Sabah in the Champions League.
Sofascore rating: 6.80
