Hull City vs Manchester United: Premier League Opening Test

The first 12.30pm BST kick-off of the new Premier League season drops Hull City straight into the deep end. The newly promoted Tigers host Manchester United at the MKM Stadium, with a side that still looks and feels very much like the one that fought its way out of the Championship.

Hull stick with the core that got them here

Eight of Hull’s starting XI came up with the club from the second tier. The summer has been busy, the recruitment drive relentless, but Sergej Jakirovic resists the temptation to rip things up on opening day.

Only three of those new faces start: Konstantinos Tzolakis in goal, Nobel Mendy in defence and Elliot Stroud further forward all make their full competitive debuts. Mendy replaces fellow recent signing Jens Hjerto-Dahl in the only change from Hull’s final pre-season friendly, a clear nod towards continuity.

The selection strongly hints at a switch of shape. Jakirovic appears to be rolling out a wing-back system – something he barely touched in pre-season but used on occasion during the 2025/26 Championship campaign. It is a bold call to reintroduce it now, against this opposition, in this spotlight.

Fantasy managers will have an eye on the middle of the pitch. Budget £4.5m FPL midfielders Charlie Slater and Matt Crooks both start in the engine room, tasked with going toe-to-toe with United’s technicians. At the back, the value theme continues: five £4.0m defenders are involved in the matchday squad, including debutant Mendy.

Hull City XI: Tzolakis, Mendy, Egan, Ajayi, Coyle, Crooks, Slater, Giles, Stroud, Belloumi, McBurnie.

Subs: Phillips, Millar, Hjerto-Dahl, McNair, Drameh, Herrington, Targett, Dowell, Gourna-Douath.

United spring an early selection surprise

On the other side, Manchester United arrive with a jolt of team news that will catch the eye before a ball is kicked. Amad Diallo, expected to feature prominently after an impressive summer, is missing from the squad. He has a “niggle”, according to the BBC’s Simon Stone, and does not travel.

His absence forces a reshuffle in the attacking line. Bryan Mbeumo, who started on the bench in the defeat to AC Milan in United’s final friendly, comes into the XI. The Ivorian’s no-show also clears the way for Matheus Cunha to keep his place, giving United a different look in the final third.

There is experience on the bench but also a sense of unknowns. Benjamin Sesko and Karl Darlow are both among the substitutes despite missing the entire pre-season programme, thrown straight into contention without summer minutes in their legs. Marcus Rashford is there too, back in a competitive United squad for the first time since December 2024, a storyline of his own simmering in the background.

Manchester United XI: Lammens, Mazraoui, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw, Santos, Tielemans, Mbeumo, Fernandes, Dorgu, Cunha.

Subs: Darlow, Dalot, Martinez, Rashford, Zirkzee, Yoro, Sesko, Lacey, Mainoo.

A promoted side leaning on its old guard. A giant with key attackers missing and big names only fit enough for the bench. Under the early-afternoon glare at the MKM, one of them is about to set the tone for their season.