1. Will fans get a first glimpse of new signings Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan?
JOSE MOURINHO HAS looked to the transfer market in order to put his stamp on the spine of the United team, with the signings of defender Eric Bailly and attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Bailly arrives from Spanish side Villarreal for a fee in the region of £30 miilion, but Mourinho has suggested that the Ivorian may need a season to adjust to English football.
Mkhitaryan, on the other hand, will be expected to hit the ground running in England after leaving Borussia Dortmund.
The Armenian captain can play on either wing or in a free role just behind the striker, and it will be interesting to see where Mourinho will play the 27-year-old should he feature against Wigan.
Mkhitaryan is his country's all-time leading goalscoring with 19 goals. Frank Augstein
Frank Augstein
2. Will Juan Mata feature?
As soon as Mourinho’s appointment was confirmed by United, it was quickly assumed by many pundits that Juan Mata would be one of the first players to leave Old Trafford.
Although his performances for United haven’t matched his displays for Chelsea, where he won their Player of the Year award in the two full seasons he was at Stamford Bridge, United fans may still believe the 28-year-old has a future at Old Trafford.
During his second spell in charge at Chelsea, Mourinho controversially removed Mata from the starting XI before selling him to United to the dismay of the supporters.
The Portuguese felt that Mata failed to adapt to his system and that he didn’t work as hard defensively as other players in the squad. Will he feel the same in Manchester?
Having been left out of Vicente del Bosque’s Spanish squad for Euro 2016, Mata would have enjoyed a much longer summer break than some of his Manchester United teammates.
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Should he fail to get on the pitch at the DW Stadium though, it could be the first indication that his future lies elsewhere.
Mata joined United from Chelsea in 2014. Adam Davy
Adam Davy
3. Which young players will be given a chance?
United go into this afternoon’s game without 13 players who featured in either the European Championships or Copa America this summer.
Defenders Axel Tuanzebe (18) and Tyrell Warren (19) have been promoted to the first-team squad for the game after being recommended by Nick Butt, who is the Head of Football Development at United, and could be set to play against Wigan.
Other young players such as Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson who broke into the first-team under Louis van Gaal, will be looking to cement their place in Mourinho’s plans.
With forwards Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic all still recovering from Euro 2016, James Wilson may also get the chance to impress the new boss and stake a claim to be part of the first-team squad.
The 20-year-old scored five goals during his loan spell with Championship side Brighton last season, but has already featured 15 times in the Premier League for United, scoring three goals.
Wilson will have to fight off even more competition at Old Trafford this season. PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
4. Will players on the fringe of the squad be given a chance to shine?
Adnan Januzaj, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard could be included in this afternoon’s plans, but none of the three players named above will be certain of their long-term future.
Lingard was a player who grew under van Gaal and scored the winner for United in the FA Cup last season, but there are still question marks against his ability to be a regular at this level.
Januzaj, who perhaps has more long-term potential than Lingard, endured an unproductive spell on loan at Borussia Dortmund last season but the 21-year-old will need to catch the eye of Mourinho in the first few weeks if he is to remain at Old Trafford.
While Young signed a new contract last season to stay with the club until 2018, he could be one of the high-profile players to leave the club.
5. Where does the future of the Dutch players lie?
On the face of it, Daley Blind’s United future looks bleak.
Mourinho has already stated that he doesn’t see Blind as a centre-back, and with Luke Shaw returning from injury in the left-back position, his position as a defender in the side looks under threat.
On top of that, a high-profile midfielder is expected to join the club in the coming weeks, which may result in limited opportunities in the coming season for the 26-year-old.
But Mourinho does like players who work hard and who are conscious of their defensive responsibilities, so Blind may well be an important member of the United squad.
International teammate Memphis Depay failed to sparkle in his first season at United but the 22-year-old has vowed to come back stronger and fitter this season, and he managed to show glimpses what he is capable of doing on the European stage last year.
He too could end up being a key figure under Mourinho.
Depay managed just two league goals last season. PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
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5 talking points ahead of Mourinho's first game in charge of Manchester United
1. Will fans get a first glimpse of new signings Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan?
JOSE MOURINHO HAS looked to the transfer market in order to put his stamp on the spine of the United team, with the signings of defender Eric Bailly and attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Bailly arrives from Spanish side Villarreal for a fee in the region of £30 miilion, but Mourinho has suggested that the Ivorian may need a season to adjust to English football.
Mkhitaryan, on the other hand, will be expected to hit the ground running in England after leaving Borussia Dortmund.
The Armenian captain can play on either wing or in a free role just behind the striker, and it will be interesting to see where Mourinho will play the 27-year-old should he feature against Wigan.
2. Will Juan Mata feature?
As soon as Mourinho’s appointment was confirmed by United, it was quickly assumed by many pundits that Juan Mata would be one of the first players to leave Old Trafford.
Although his performances for United haven’t matched his displays for Chelsea, where he won their Player of the Year award in the two full seasons he was at Stamford Bridge, United fans may still believe the 28-year-old has a future at Old Trafford.
During his second spell in charge at Chelsea, Mourinho controversially removed Mata from the starting XI before selling him to United to the dismay of the supporters.
The Portuguese felt that Mata failed to adapt to his system and that he didn’t work as hard defensively as other players in the squad. Will he feel the same in Manchester?
Having been left out of Vicente del Bosque’s Spanish squad for Euro 2016, Mata would have enjoyed a much longer summer break than some of his Manchester United teammates.
Should he fail to get on the pitch at the DW Stadium though, it could be the first indication that his future lies elsewhere.
3. Which young players will be given a chance?
United go into this afternoon’s game without 13 players who featured in either the European Championships or Copa America this summer.
Defenders Axel Tuanzebe (18) and Tyrell Warren (19) have been promoted to the first-team squad for the game after being recommended by Nick Butt, who is the Head of Football Development at United, and could be set to play against Wigan.
Other young players such as Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson who broke into the first-team under Louis van Gaal, will be looking to cement their place in Mourinho’s plans.
With forwards Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic all still recovering from Euro 2016, James Wilson may also get the chance to impress the new boss and stake a claim to be part of the first-team squad.
The 20-year-old scored five goals during his loan spell with Championship side Brighton last season, but has already featured 15 times in the Premier League for United, scoring three goals.
4. Will players on the fringe of the squad be given a chance to shine?
Adnan Januzaj, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard could be included in this afternoon’s plans, but none of the three players named above will be certain of their long-term future.
Lingard was a player who grew under van Gaal and scored the winner for United in the FA Cup last season, but there are still question marks against his ability to be a regular at this level.
Januzaj, who perhaps has more long-term potential than Lingard, endured an unproductive spell on loan at Borussia Dortmund last season but the 21-year-old will need to catch the eye of Mourinho in the first few weeks if he is to remain at Old Trafford.
While Young signed a new contract last season to stay with the club until 2018, he could be one of the high-profile players to leave the club.
5. Where does the future of the Dutch players lie?
On the face of it, Daley Blind’s United future looks bleak.
Mourinho has already stated that he doesn’t see Blind as a centre-back, and with Luke Shaw returning from injury in the left-back position, his position as a defender in the side looks under threat.
On top of that, a high-profile midfielder is expected to join the club in the coming weeks, which may result in limited opportunities in the coming season for the 26-year-old.
But Mourinho does like players who work hard and who are conscious of their defensive responsibilities, so Blind may well be an important member of the United squad.
International teammate Memphis Depay failed to sparkle in his first season at United but the 22-year-old has vowed to come back stronger and fitter this season, and he managed to show glimpses what he is capable of doing on the European stage last year.
He too could end up being a key figure under Mourinho.
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