Playing for 90
Fansided

What is Manchester United’s strongest XI?

By Tom Bogert

Paris Saint-Germain's Swedish midfielder Zlatan Ibrahimovic speaks with Chelsea's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho (R) at the end of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Chelsea at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on February 17, 2015. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
Paris Saint-Germain's Swedish midfielder Zlatan Ibrahimovic speaks with Chelsea's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho (R) at the end of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Chelsea at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on February 17, 2015. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 17: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United celebrates with Anthony Martial (9) and Jesse Lingard (35) as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on May 17, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 17: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United celebrates with Anthony Martial (9) and Jesse Lingard (35) as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on May 17, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhtaryan and Eric Bailly all confirmed signings under new manager Jose Mourinho, what’s Manchester United’s strongest XI?

Jose Mourinho is a brilliant managerial appointment for Manchester United and he’s all but certain to regain at least some of the ground United has lost since Sir Alex Ferguson walked off into the sunset (then back into Old Trafford whenever his former club play.)

If there’s one knock on Mourinho to United, though, is that at this club, like the road bumps he faced at Real Madrid, it’s not just about winning. It’s about winning a certain way. Thankfully, there was no history at Chelsea to justify any stipulations such as that thus he was able to forge his own glory. Boring, counter-attacking glory, but glory nonetheless.

With the players on the books in attack at United, this team could be one of the most exciting sides in the league. Any four of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford will almost always be in the team. Hell, even their second choice attack would boast names like Jesse Lingard, Memphis Depay, Juan Mata and Ander Herrera. There are a ton of teams who wish United’s second choice was their first.

It’ll be interesting to see how Mourinho sets up his team. In his last title-winning campaign with Chelsea, for the first half of the season they were playing beautiful, incisive football. Will he be able to channel some of that verve at his new gig? Or will he return to his comfortable, proven counter attacking style that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing?

Regardless of which path he takes, it’s more than likely to be successful based on his history.

Next: Option one: 4-2-3-1

Home/Manchester United