Who will be United's main man on Merseyside?

The resumption of Premier League action has thrown up an away game at the champions, Liverpool, with Ruben Amorim's side looking to show character and pick up a first win at the Merseyside venue since January 2016.

We're hoping heroes will emerge, as lasting reputations can be built on such occasions, so here are five Reds singled out by our editorial team, in advance of the 16:30 BST kick-off...

AMAD (Sam Carney)

The Ivorian winger has been a thorn in the side of Liverpool in the past, including at Anfield in January when he evaded Andy Robertson to sidefoot home a late equaliser. The Scot has been replaced as the Merseysiders’ first-choice left-back by Milos Kerkez, but the former Bournemouth man has had an up-and-down start to life with his new club.

He presumably won’t be relishing an individual battle with the quick and tricky Amad, who gave Sunderland’s Arthur Masuaku a torrid time in his most recent United outing. An expertly taken free-kick for Ivory Coast in midweek will only add to our no.16’s increasing confidence.

MATTHIJS DE LIGT (Mark Froggatt)

Liverpool may have lost three consecutive matches across all competitions, but a wounded animal is the most dangerous and, without doubt, United will need a strong defensive performance to get a positive result at Anfield.

A central figure to that could be centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, who has started all seven of our Premier League matches this season and arguably been our most consistent player so far. Now approaching his prime years, the 26-year-old appears to have found another level during his second campaign as a Red and, after enjoying a rest during the international break, he will be raring to go this weekend.

It’s the type of occasion he relishes, too, playing against a world-class forward line on the biggest stage.

MASON MOUNT (Adam Marshall)

It will have done Mason the world of good to receive that Old Trafford ovation when he was substituted in the win over Sunderland. It was worthy recognition of his contribution, not least the smartly taken opening goal, and strengthened the feeling that we are starting to see the best of the 26-year-old.

The weekend may well be a time for showing industry and intelligence when out of possession, and this is right up our no.7's street. Vastly experienced from his time with Chelsea and England, Anfield will hold no fears for him. Indeed, it was his 42nd-minute strike in March 2021 that earned his former club an away win there.

The following season, he played as the Blues secured a 1-1 draw at the ground, despite the first-half sending off of Reece James, and featured for all but eight minutes of a 0-0 stalemate in January 2023. So he knows how to help get a result on the Mersey men's home turf and will be right up for this one.

MATHEUS CUNHA (Harry Robinson)

You need a certain grit to shine away from home in one of these games, alongside quality. It's clear Matheus Cunha has that hard-to-quantify 'United-ness' about him.

Some players just feel right for the club. He's one of those; a fighter who plays with flair. He scored at Anfield last season for Wolves (with an absolute belter from long range), let's hope he can do the same for United.

Whether it's from the start or off the bench, I'm backing him to have an impact.

BRUNO FERNANDES (Isaac Stronge)

Bruno Fernandes can be our star man against the Merseysiders on Sunday because, simply put, he has played that role so many times before. In our last Anfield visit, it was the Portugal midfielder who received the ball on the left flank, before driving into the centre and pulling off a beautifully reversed pass, when Liverpool thought they had their defence set, allowing Lisandro Martinez to crash home the opener in off the crossbar.

We all know games steeped in rivalry can be cagey, defensive affairs but, as he showed last time out in this fixture, if there’s a route to goal, no matter how slender, you can rely on our captain to find it.