Jose Mourinho just can't decide on his best starting XI.

The Manchester United manager has yet to name an unchanged side this season and we're eight games into the new campaign. And he's not just slightly tinkered with his lineup either.

He has already made drastic changes on several occasions. He made six alterations to the side that lost against Brighton for the next fixture against Spurs and he's continued to make changes in the games that have followed.

While some players are certain starters, there's still hope for others as there are clearly places up for grabs in the starting XI.

Here's a look at the key battles and how Mourinho has decisions to make on five positions in the team.


Where else to begin than arguably the biggest problem position. Mourinho's still upset he didn't get the central defender he was after in the summer and since then has even experimented with playing Scott McTominay in his backline.

The Scottish international clearly isn't the answer to Mourinho's woes, but who is?

It looked as though the Portuguese had decided on his preferred centre-back pairing of Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof but the latter hasn't started again since his shocker at West Ham.

Smalling has retained his place so there's just one position up for grabs with Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Lindelof and Marcos Rojo fighting for the spot.

Jones hasn't been involved in a matchday squad since the Carabao Cup defeat to Derby while Bailly was hooked after 18 minutes of the comeback against Newcastle.

Rojo's still sidelined with an injury and with Lindelof out of favour too Mourinho doesn't have many options.

The United manager is going to have to gamble on either Bailly, Jones or Lindelof, all three of which he has dropped in recent weeks due to poor performances.


Over the course of the last few seasonsm Antonio Valencia has had the right-back slot at United nailed down, when he's not been injured.

However, recent fitness setbacks and his lack of pace now mean that there's competition in his position and Mourinho has already started Ashley Young and Diogo Dalot there this season.

Dalot impressed on his debut against Young Boys and could provide the United captain with some healthy competition for the remainder of the season.

While Young's also shown he's capable of switching sides and filling in at right-back when needed.

Central midfield

Mourinho's favourites Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba's respective places in the starting XI appear to be undisputed. The pair, especially the former, are rarely dropped or rested by the United manager which means in Mourinho's normal 4-3-3 formation there's one position up for grabs.

But this is the position where there are the most contenders to start.

Marouane Fellaini, Scott McTominay, Andreas Pereira, Fred, Ander Herrera and at times Juan Mata are all fighting for that one remaining midfield opening.

Pereira hasn't started a game since the defeat against Brighton while Fred has yet to be given a run of games to fully establish himself. Mourinho will clearly change personnel depending on how defensively he is setting his side up but there's plenty of competition in this particular area.

Right wing

With no natural right winger in the squad it's an interesting position that is someone's to seize. Mata, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez have all played there but none of them have cemented their position there.

Rashford would be best served investing his time in making the position his own as he really wouldn't have much in the way of competition. The invitation is waiting there from Mourinho for one of the current squad members to step up and prove United don't need to buy there in the January transfer window.

Alexis Sanchez has struggled for form since joining Manchester United.
Alexis Sanchez has struggled for form since joining Manchester United.

The way United set up with an interchangeable front three means the likelihood is that whoever starts on the right won't stay there. But with no-one taking that role as their own, this looks as if it will be another competitive area of the team as the season progresses.

Left wing

Last season it was the Martial vs Rashford debate as to who should start on the left and since January Sanchez has been thrown in to the mix. The Chilean has struggled for form since arriving from Arsenal at the start of the year which means a debate which he could have ended still lingers on.

In the same way the right wing has troubled Mourinho the left-wing issues still provoke debate.

Sanchez's winner against Newcastle will no doubt see him given the nod to start against Chelsea and if it proves to be the catalyst to him finding his true form then that could end the left wing debate once and for all.

If not then it's up to Martial and Rashford to up their games and prove why they deserve their place in the starting XI.