After a mixed run of results to kick off Manchester United’s Premier League season, Erik ten Hag will be hoping his side can gather some momentum in the month of September with games coming thick and fast.
United find themselves eighth in the table heading into the month, after back-to-back wins against Liverpool and Southampton.
This came after a rocky start to the Dutchman’s reign, with Brighton taking all three points on the season opener, and a dire showing at Brentford where United conceded four goals in the first half.
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September will see United play six games, including getting their Europa League campaign off to a start with their opponents now known after last week's draw.
Leicester (A): 1 September
United’s first game of the month will see them visit the King Power Stadium to face a struggling Leicester side. It could see a full debut for Casemiro after his cameo off the bench in United's last encounter.
The Reds will be hoping to pile on the misery for The Foxes, who sit bottom of the table after three straight league defeats.
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Rumours continue to swirl around the future of former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, and a loss on Thursday night wouldn’t settle those.
United haven’t beaten Leicester in the league since 2020 and will be hoping to put that winless record to bed and get the month off to a good start.
Arsenal (H): 4 September
United will get their first taste of playing on a Sunday immediately after a Thursday evening game with a visit from an optimistic Arsenal side.
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Mikel Arteta’s fledgling squad will make the trip up from North London to face United in what is poised to be a rekindling of an age-old rivalry between the two clubs.
At time of writing, Arsenal sit top of the Premier League, after four straight wins in their opening fixtures.
New signing Gabriel Jesus has impressed for The Gunners, and will be looking to add to his tally.
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Though, the Brazilian has never scored against United before and will look to open his account at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United lost 3-1 when the two sides last played each other, that time at the Emirates, while both sides ended up missing out on top four football last season.
Real Sociedad (H): 8 September
United will kick off their Europa League campaign against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on the 8th of September.
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The Spanish side look set to be United’s toughest opponents in the Group Stage, and Erik ten Hag will be hoping for three points to start working towards qualifying for the knockout rounds.
There are a few familiar names who could feature in the fixture, such as former Manchester City midfielder David Silva.
The diminutive Spaniard has enjoyed some good results at Old Trafford, including the infamous 6-1 drubbing in 2011, in which he scored.
United last faced Sociedad in the Europa League just a couple of seasons ago, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side running out 4-0 aggregate winners in that tie.
Crystal Palace (A): 11 September
Next United will travel to London to face Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace.
It will be the first visit to the capital since the 4-0 defeat away at Brentford earlier in the season, and United fans will be hoping for a much different outcome this time around.
The last league meeting between the two sides came on the final day last season, where Ten Hag watched on from the stands at Selhurst Park in a 1-0 win for The Eagles.
They also met in pre-season while on tour in Melbourne.
United ran out 3-1 winners on that occasion with goals from Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.
Palace boast a wealth of talent, with young players such as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, as well as the ever-present former Red Wilfried Zaha who can always cause problems.
FC Sheriff Tiraspol (A): 15 September
United’s first European away day comes against Moldovan champions Sheriff.
The side find themselves in the Europa League after losing in the Champions League play-offs to Viktoria Plzen.
The Reds will be heavy bookies favourites for the game, and it may present an option for Erik ten Hag to rotate his squad and perhaps give minutes to youth prospects such as Alejandro Garnacho.
However, Sheriff are well versed in pulling off shock results, after they ran out 2-1 winners in a Champions League group game against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last season.
Leeds United (H): 18 September
A fiery affair will no doubt be in store to finish the month of September for United before the international break, with the visit of old rivals Leeds.
United have had little trouble dispatching the Yorkshire side since their return to the Premier League, putting nine goals past them last season.
However, Jesse Marsch does seem to have improved them and they will be keen to take revenge on United at Old Trafford.
The two sides put on two classic performances last season, with the most recent meeting at Elland Road finishing 4-2, after Leeds had come back to level the game at 2-2.
Ten Hag will be hoping that United can show similar grit and spirit as they did on that day in order to take all three points.
It’s a mixed bag of fixtures in the month of September for United, with a host of midweek games that will require rotation to keep everyone as fresh as possible, while keeping momentum going in the league and getting the Europa League off to a positive start.
There are enough winnable games in there though, and you’d expect Ten Hag to be demanding nothing less than three points in the majority of them.
Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, Europa League, Casemiro, Erik Ten Hag, Arsenal, Leicester City, Leeds United, Real Sociedad, Crystal Palace
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Henry Cowling