Manchester United will kick off their 2022-23 Premier League campaign at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon.

A busy pre-season finished on Sunday afternoon, with the Red Devils playing out a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano, and they now have a full week of training ahead of their league opener with the Seagulls.

Overall, it has been a productive pre-season for the club, although it would be fair to say that not all has gone to plan, while the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga still seemingly has no clear end point.

Erik ten Hag will be determined to start the new campaign with a positive performance and a victory, but there are still some big decisions that the Dutchman needs to make ahead of the clash with Graham Potter's side, and with that in mind, Sports Mole looks at some early talking points surrounding the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo's involvement

Ronaldo played his first minutes of pre-season against Rayo on Sunday, featuring for the first half of what proved to be a 1-1 draw.

The Portugal international missed the club's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to a personal issue, while he was also not involved against Atletico Madrid in Norway on Saturday.

Ronaldo continues to be linked with a move away from Old Trafford, with the forward allegedly maintaining that he wants to leave before the end of the transfer window.

There is no obvious destination for the 37-year-old at this moment in time, though, and there is every chance that he will still be at the club for the clash with Brighton.

Ronaldo will surely not be considered for a start due to his lack of football this summer, coupled with Anthony Martial's pre-season form, but Ten Hag needs to decide whether there is a spot on the bench for Ronaldo, who remains the greatest goalscorer in the modern game.

Centre-back options

Raphael Varane's fitness problems this summer are likely to count against him when it comes to the clash with Brighton; he came through Sunday's game against Rayo without an issue, sporting the armband in the process, but Ten Hag is likely to remain cautious when it comes to the France international.

Harry Maguire has kept hold of the armband this season and is a certainty to start against Brighton unless he is injured, but Ten Hag must decide who features alongside his captain.

Victor Lindelof played a lot of football on tour and was also involved against Atletico on Saturday, but new signing Lisandro Martinez was hugely impressive in the draw with Rayo in what was his debut for the club.

Ten Hag needs to decide whether Martinez is fit enough for the Premier League opener, and it would certainly not be a surprise to see the Dutchman select Lindelof alongside Maguire.

Varane and Martinez are also both starters in the eyes of Ten Hag, though, so it will be fascinating to see how the club's new head coach manages his centre-back options in the new season.

Left-back choice

Luke Shaw was in line to play against either Atletico or Rayo at the weekend, but the Englishman was unable to feature through illness, which saw Tyrell Malacia take to the field against the former.

Malacia, who has arrived at the club from Feyenoord this summer, has been hugely impressive in the early stages of his Red Devils career, and he is pushing for a starting role against Brighton.

The 22-year-old has shown his attacking and defensive abilities during his early performances for the club, and he is firmly ahead of Alex Telles in the pecking order, with the Brazilian likely to leave in the coming weeks.

Had Shaw featured against Atletico, Ten Hag might be siding with the Englishman when it comes to the game with Potter's side, who are certainly capable of collecting all three points this weekend.

However, it could be a Premier League debut for Malacia, with the Netherlands international settling effortlessly into life at the club. body check tags ::