Manchester United possible XI for Premier League encounter against Aston Villa

Defensive midfielder - Scott McTominay

Manchester United v Everton - Pre-season Friendly

Scott McTominay made his return from injury last weekend. The Scot's an active contributor in midfield and loves breaking up play just as much as he likes bombing forward. McTominay played a wonderful through-ball to Ronaldo last weekend which really should have been finished off.

The 24-year-old shows a lot of fight every time he is on the pitch and is a hard-working individual. While he is not Nemanja Matic with his passing ability, Solskjaer will need McTominay to be present against teams with mobile midfields.

Matic is likely to feature more against teams that are content to use a low-block against Manchester United. Otherwise, Solskjaer is likely to stick with his beloved double pivot in midfield.

Defensive midfielder - Fred

Southampton v Manchester United - Premier League

Fred is arguably the most criticized Manchester United player since the start of the new season. The Brazilian hasn't exactly helped his case with his sloppy work in possession. But he is there to do a job in midfield and credit where it's due, he has been doing it quite adequately.

Fred is tireless with his pressing and his energy levels never drop over the course of the 90 minutes. The fact of the matter is that his disruption is not entirely quantifiable in that he is often cutting passing lanes and causing midfielders to hit the panic button.

Fred will keep his place in the starting XI and look to give the likes of Marvelous Nakamba, Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz no moment of respite.

Attacking midfielder - Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United v Newcastle United - Premier League

The talismanic Portuguese might not have got an assist last weekend but it was him who created Manchester United's opener. Bruno Fernandes, with his intelligent movement, quick thinking and swift passing, is a constant livewire in midfield.

With Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo stepping up, it's hard to mark Fernandes out of the game. He is also a tireless worker and already has four goals in five Premier League games this season.