Southampton vs Manchester United LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and updates today

Follow live coverage as Southampton welcome Manchester United to St Mary’s on Sunday afternoon.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat against Everton in their opening game of the new season, with the sales of Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard leaving the Saints in a precarious position. The club has been boosted by captain James Ward-Prowse’s decision to renew his contract, though, after serious interest from Aston Villa and new striker Adam Armstrong will be aiming to get his goal tally up and running.

That may well prove a difficult task against a United side full of confidence, though. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side thrashed Leeds 5-1 last weekend, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick as Paul Pogba laid on four assists, and there is a positive atmosphere around the club at present, in large part due to the signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, who should both feature this afternoon. Some uncertainty does still linger in the form of Pogba’s contract, with the Frenchman now into the last 12 months of his deal, but Solskjaer insisted the World Cup winner will not be sold this summer. “For me, to make players stay at Man United, when you see a good squad and get good results that helps and we want to win things,” he said. Follow all the action from St Mary’s live below:

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Solskjaer: ‘We want to silence home crowd'

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke about the last time these two sides met in the Premier League. Manchester United demolished the Saints 9-0, a joint record win in the Premier League.

Solskjaer said: “That game was a one off. That’s a special game when you have a lad sent off in the first minute. With Ralph’s teams you get high energy, high pressing and belief in themselves. They give you a great challenge. We know every time we travel down there it’s a very difficult game.

“You want to silence the home crowd. I know that’s not going to happen when it’s the first game at St. Mary’s in 18 months, it will be loud, but we have to do that. We have to manage the game so that the away fans are the ones that are heard.”

Sancho and Varane start on the bench

Manchester United’s two new signings have both been given spots on the bench against Southampton today. Jadon Sancho made his debut for the Red Devils last weekend against Leeds at Old Trafford and will be eager to stake his case for a starting place.

Raphael Varane meanwhile signed at Old Trafford a week ago and has been training with the team to regain his match fitness.

United boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, spoke about the former Real Madrid defender saying: “He has been keeping fit, he’s a naturally fit lad and of course this week he’s had a good week so now it’s coming through the last session if that goes well he’ll probably travel with us.”

Southampton vs Man Utd – Head-to-head

Manchester United’s 9-0 win in their most recent league meeting with Southampton matched the Premier League record for the biggest victory. It followed United’s 9-0 triumph versus Ipswich Town in 1995 and Leicester City’s 9-0 win at Southampton in 2019.

United have recovered 35 Premier League points from losing positions in this fixture. It is the best record of any side against one opponent. The Saints have lost 10 Premier League meetings after scoring the opening goal, a joint record in the competition.

Southampton vs Man Utd prediction

Manchester United are unbeaten in 12 Premier League games against Southampton. Here’s how we see today’s fixture playing out:

Predicting how Southampton vs Manchester United will play out today

Everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League fixture this afternoon

Team news – Changes

Ralph Hasenhuttl names an unchanged Southampton team after they lost 3-1 to Everton last weekend. The Saints have lost key players over the summer with Jannik Vestegaard and Danny Ings departing but they’ve been boosted by James Ward-Prowse signing a new contract.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes two changes to his Manchester United starting XI. Daniel James and Scott McTominay drop out and are replaced with Nemanja Matic and Anthony Martial.

Team news – Southampton vs Man Utd

Southampton XI: McCarthy; Livramento, Stephans, Salisu, Perraud; Walcott, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Djenepo; Adams, A. Armstrong

Man Utd XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, Matic; Greenwood, Fernandes, Pogba; Martial

Manchester United and Raphael Varane, a love story finally writing its first chapter

It would not be entirely correct to say that Raphael Varane has made a good first impression since he started training at Carrington this week. The thing with first impressions, famously, is that you only ever get to make one, and this is a player who many at Manchester United have watched, monitored and admired from a distance for a decade or more now.

Rarely has a new signing made such an impression on so many at Carrington and Old Trafford before he has walked through the door. Ed Woodward, no less, has long hoped to bring Varane to Manchester. This week was a first chance for United to see him up close, though, and it has only confirmed the belief held by many at the club that they have secured a defender of the highest calibre:

Manchester United and Raphael Varane, a love story finally writing its first chapter

Varane is in contention to make his United bow at Southampton on Sunday

Recent results: Southampton vs Man Utd

Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League matches against Southampton. They won both fixtures against the Saints last season and the last time the two teams met was back in February where Manchester United completed a famous 9-0 thrashing over Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men.

This season Southampton started their campaign with a 3-1 defeat away at Everton. They had taken the lead in the first half through Adam Armstrong’s opener but the Toffees rallied after the break with goals from Richarlison, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin giving them a relatively easy victory.

Manchester United on the other hand had an almost perfect start to their campaign. They faced Leeds at home and took the lead through Bruno Fernandes with half an hour played. A beautiful strike from Luke Ayling levelled things up just after half-time but United turned it up a gear. Paul Pogba played in Mason Greenwood to send United back in front before combining with Fernandes again to ensure the Portuguese completed a hat-trick. Fred put the icing on the cake with 20 minutes left to go as Man Utd cruised to a 5-1 win.

Early team news

New signing Raphael Varane will be assessed after his move from Real Madrid was completed last weekend. Questions still remain over his match fitness but he may start from the bench.

Jadon Sancho made his debut against Leeds last weekend as is in contention for a starting place as is Edinson Cavani who returns after completing self-isolation protocols.

Sam McQueen and Will Smallbone are absent for the Saints but otherwise Southampton have a fully fit squad to select from.

Southampton host Manchester United

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage as Southampton welcome Manchester United to St Mary’s in the Premier League this afternoon.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side got off to the perfect start last weekend as they aim to mount a title charge this season, thrashing Leeds 5-1 as Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba both produced magnificent performances.

Southampton are likely to struggle to halt that momentum with Ralph Hasenhuttl losing three key players this summer in Danny Ings, Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard, while the scars will still linger from their 9-0 defeat against United last season.

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