Manchester United did not make the greatest of starts last season, and Louis Van Gaal's primary focus this time around will be to knock down Tottenham as the English Premier League returns with a cracker of an opening game at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal still seems to be searching for his best XI, even with the season starting, with the manager admitting he will probably need a new goalkeeper as well as a creative force, following the departure of Angel Di Maria to PSG and the possible exit of David De Gea to Real Madrid.

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De Gea, owing to the speculation, will not be considered for this opening Premier League match against Spurs, which should give an opportunity in goal to either Sergio Romero, the new signing, or Sam Johnstone, the young goalkeeper.

Apart from that, Van Gaal will have enough quality options to choose from, with the midfield, in particular, looking quite strong, following the arrivals of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has been deemed not match fit enough for the match against Tottenham by Van Gaal, and Morgan Schneiderlin.

The Frenchman looked pretty good and right at home in preseason, and he will probably turn out to be one of their most vital players this season. If Schneiderlin can lock-in a good partnership with Michael Carrick in centre midfield, Manchester United will be a lot stronger than they were last season.

One player who has remained a constant amidst all the changes is Wayne Rooney, and with the Manchester United skipper set for a central striker role this season, expect a few goals to rain in at Old Trafford on Saturday.

"Tottenham are a team I have done well against over the years and scored goals," Rooney told MUTV. "I hope that can continue on Saturday but the most important thing is getting three points.

"For me, I'd say the three points are more important than the performance on Saturday. We want to perform well but it's vital that we get three points."

Tottenham will be thinking along the same lines as well, with the North London club keen to bounce back from the 3-0 loss they suffered at Old Trafford last season.

"It's a very tough game," Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen said. "United are one of the favourites for the title and they will want to show that in the first game at home, but we want to do better than last season.

"It was probably our worst game of the season and their best when we last went to Old Trafford. I remember we'd won a couple of games before, United weren't in their best period and we all felt very fit and confident, but it went the other way.

"They scored quickly and we couldn't get close to them. We certainly learned from that game but we have to do better this time."

Where to Watch Live

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Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur is scheduled for a 12.45 pm local time (5.15 pm IST, 7.45 am ET) start with live coverage in India on Star Sports 4. The match can also be watched via live streaming online on Starsports.com and Hotstar in India and the rest of the subcontinent.

Watch the opening fixture of the new Premier League season live in the UK on BT Sport 1, with the live stream option on Watch BT Sport. BBC Radio 5 Live will also provide the radio coverage live.

US viewers can catch the game live on NBC Sports, while all the Manchester United vs Tottenham action can also be live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra. Viewers in Canada can catch the action on Sportsnet, and live online on Watch Sportsnet.

Audience in Australia can catch Manchester United vs Spurs live on Fox Sports, with the live streaming options on Foxtel and Fox Sports On Demand. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the match action on Bein Sports and Bein Sports Connect.