Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo have been dropped from the Manchester United side for Monday's Premier League clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Raphael Varane has replaced Maguire at the heart of the defence, with the club captain dropping down to the bench following last weekend's 4-0 defeat at Brentford.

Lisandro Martinez was withdrawn at the interval of the four-goal loss, but the Argentina international keeps his spot in the middle of the defence.

Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag had been reluctant to start Varane due to his fitness problems over the summer, but the France international impressed off the bench against Thomas Frank's side last time out and is now included in the first XI for the contest with Jurgen Klopp's side.

Tyrell Malacia is brought into the side at left-back, meanwhile, with Luke Shaw dropping out, while Diogo Dalot will again start on the right.

Scott McTominay is also back in midfield, with Fred dropping out, while Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes will also operate in the middle of the park.

Casemiro is set to be presented to the Old Trafford crowd ahead of kickoff, but the midfielder has not been cleared to feature in this match, with his debut potentially coming against Southampton on Saturday.

Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford have also found it tough in the early stages of the campaign, but the pair are again in the starting lineup for this match, with the latter set to play through the middle.

Anthony Martial had been expected to lead the line, but the Frenchman is only on the bench, with Anthony Elanga also featuring in an attacking area for the Red Devils.

Martial had been in line to start the 2022-23 campaign as the club's number one forward, but he missed out against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford due to a hamstring issue.

The former Monaco youngster returned to training last week, though, and he is on the bench alongside the likes of Maguire, Shaw, Fred and Ronaldo.

Fernandes will wear the captain's armband in the absence of Maguire, with the Portugal international set to play just ahead of McTominay and Eriksen in midfield.

Both Maguire and Ronaldo are being linked with moves away from Old Trafford, and their absences from the XI will only fuel the speculation surrounding their futures.

MANCHESTER UNITED: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; McTominay, Eriksen, Fernandes; Sancho, Rashford, Elanga body check tags ::