Man Utd’s FA Cup final line-up if Solskjaer signed Haaland and three others

Erik ten Hag reviews Man Utd's win against Fulham

Manchester United face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon. Erik ten Hag has nailed down his best XI this season, and while his side may feel quietly confident of upsetting their local rivals’ silverware treble bid, the line-up would have looked a whole lot different if former Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remained at the helm, armed with four of his prime transfer targets. Here, Express Sport takes you through how the side would have looked if things panned out differently…

Goalkeeper: De Gea

Solskjaer was loyal to David de Gea during most of his time at the club, and the Spaniard gave him every reason to be. Once hailed as the finest stopper on the planet by United fans, he surely would have remained between the sticks if Solskjaer was in charge for this weekend’s showdown.

Ten Hag has followed suit by putting his faith in him so far, but the Dutchman is hardly going to great lengths to reassure his goalkeeper, instead publicly leaving the door ajar for a rival No 1 to challenge De Gea’s starting spot.

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Defence: Trippier, Torres, Varane, Shaw

Born just down the road from Manchester in Bury, Trippier was heavily linked to Solskjaer’s United for some time before he ultimately joined Newcastle in a bargain £12million deal. The 32-year-old has been many people’s picks for the best right-back in the Premier League this season, which will only serve to rub salt in United’s wounds.

Before the time of Lisandro Martinez, who was signed by Ten Hag, the Red Devils hierarchy were rumoured to be serious admirers of Villarreal star Pau Torres, who may have lined up alongside Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw to complete the back-four.

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Midfield: Caicedo, Fernandes, Fred

Perhaps one of the most painful opportunities United passed up on, at least from a financial point of view, is the chance to sign Moises Caicedo in 2021. While senior figures at Old Trafford turned their noses up at the Ecuadorian’s meagre £4.5m price tag, Brighton pulled the trigger and he is expected to leave the Amex Stadium this summer for a mammoth fee.

Casemiro and Christian Eriksen would both have been in with a stern shout of featuring in this midfield trio if they had not been signed during the Ten Hag era, but Bruno Fernandes and Fred are both worthy of making up a side capable of challenging City.

Attack: Sancho, Haaland, Rashford

Marcus Rashford has been a mainstay at United since breaking through as a teenager, and he has stepped it up another notch under Ten Hag this campaign with 30 goals in all competitions. Meanwhile, on the right, Jadon Sancho would have been likely to get the nod given that Antony is another of Ten Hag’s signings.

Through the middle, United were long thought to be in the race to sign Erling Haaland, who has broken record after record during his debut season with 52 goals in all competitions so far. Ultimately, he ended up on the blue half of Manchester, meaning they could be made to rue their mistake at Wembley on Saturday.

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