Paul Merson is backing Manchester United to claim a 2-1 victory over West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday
Manchester United will return to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-1 home victory over West Ham United on Sunday, according to Paul Merson.
Last weekend, Casemiro’s stoppage-time header helped the Red Devils come back from a goal down to earn a dramatic 1-1 draw against Chelsea FC.
Erik ten Hag’s side followed that up with a 3-0 home win against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League on Thursday night, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 701st career goal in the win.
Manchester United began the weekend in sixth place in the Premier League table, looking to climb back into the Champions League qualification spots.
Former Arsenal midfielder Merson believes the hosts will be too strong for the Hammers, who started the weekend in 10th place in the Premier League table.
“Erik ten Hag had to do something about Cristiano Ronaldo. After such an excellent performance, everyone in the dressing room would’ve been watching the situation. Ronaldo just can’t do what he did. Man’s a legend, but you’ve got to set an example. That was a long walk, and he would’ve known exactly what he was doing.
“Ronaldo missed the game against Chelsea, and Manchester United didn’t have a forward to bring on in the second half to change the game. They didn’t lose that match, and I think Ten Hag got away with it in the end.
“West Ham is a fun team and can be hard to beat, but they haven’t got going yet this season. They can hurt you as they did with Liverpool, and this could be one of those games where the West Ham of last season turns up. On the current form, however, I don’t see it. Man United are playing really well – the football’s good, the energy’s good, and I think they’ll win this game.”
Meanwhile, former Chelsea FC star Chris Sutton is also expecting to see Manchester United claim a 2-1 victory in front of their home fans on Sunday.
The ex-striker believes that the Red Devils are showing that they are making progress under Ten Hag and can continue their solid recent form with a victory against the Hammers.
Writing in his own column for BBC Sport, Sutton said: “Losing defender Raphael Varane to injury is a blow for Manchester United but I think they will cope without him here, even though Gianluca Scamacca is a real threat.
“At the other end, it might be a different story. West Ham is a stubborn side, who is in decent form, but I don’t think their backline will be good enough to keep United out.
“United is making progress under Erik ten Hag but he still has to deal with the distraction of being asked questions about Cristiano Ronaldo the whole time, which must be a nightmare for him. It will probably be the same again after this game, whether Ronaldo plays or not.
“Great player that he is, Ronaldo has made it all about himself when really he is just one of the squad. It is quite sad, because he is starting to destroy his legacy at Old Trafford, and he might not be there for much longer.”
Sutton’s column was published before Ronaldo netted in Manchester United’s win over Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday night. With Ronaldo now seemingly back in Ten Hag’s good books and ready to compete for a spot in the first team, the Manchester United manager praised the five-time Ballon d’Or winner after scoring in the Europa League on Thursday night.
“He kept going and the team kept going to put him in the right position,” said Ten Hag on Thursday night. “He kept going to get himself in the right position. He didn’t give up and I think that’s what he’s done his whole career and in the end, he got his reward for it.”
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