Jose Mourinho is confident his Manchester United players can build on their opening Premier League win over Leicester City, as they head to the south coast to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon.
While the Red Devils boss has stated that six of his players (Sergio Romero, Antonio Valencia, Diogo Dalot, Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic) are all set to miss the game through injury, he could bring back into the starting XI three key faces as they look to record their second win of the campaign, and maintain their prominent spot in the table.
The triumvirate that could be unleashed from the first whistle are three players that shone at the World Cup over the summer, and they are three key components of United's squad, who will have to perform impressively all season if the north west side are to challenge rivals Manchester City and Liverpool for the title.
The three first-team regulars that could return to the starting XI on Sunday are:
Romelu Lukaku
Impressive at the World Cup for Belgium, Romelu Lukaku was brought on as a second half substitute in the Leicester win, as he replaced Marcus Rashford in the 67th minute, but the centre forward is likely to start from the off on Sunday, as he has had another significant week of training under his belt.
With 16 Premier League goals last season, Lukaku set the world alight at the World Cup with four goals, and Mourinho will be chomping at the bit to get him back out on the pitch, and he is sure to start at the weekend.
Jesse Lingard
Mourinho has already hinted that he is happy to bring Jesse Lingard back into the squad, after the England international was left out of the squad last weekend. Speaking to ManUtd.com, the United boss said: "probably {Jesse} Lingard coming back," when talking about the midfielder, who was sensational at times for Gareth Southgate's England side at the World Cup.
Lingard was one of United's premier attacking threats in the latter stages of last season, and while Fred and Andrea Pereira made a positive contribution last weekend, Lingard could join Paul Pogba in the middle of the park.
Marouane Fellaini
With only nine days training before the Leicester game, Marouane Fellaini was only ever going to gain a limited role against Leicester, and he replaced the impressive Pogba in the 84th minute, but he could be the second Belgian star to be welcomed back into the starting XI at the weekend, and he could be the third change to Mourinho's team against Brighton.
A robust figure in the middle of the park, Fellaini's height is sure to cause Brighton some problems, and after Chris Hughton's side lost 2-0 to Watford on the opening day they will not fancy coming up against Fellaini, who is likely to make United stronger.
