Arsenal and Manchester United are expected to be among Manchester City’s closest challengers for the Premier League title this season.

Both clubs now boast even stronger starting XIs after strengthening their squads over the summer. Only Chelsea have spent more than Arsenal, who broke the British transfer record to sign Declan Rice from West Ham in a deal worth £105 million. The Gunners have also brought in Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber for big fees, while goalkeeper David Raya has joined from Brentford on an initial season-long loan deal.

It’s been a similar story at Old Trafford. Man Utd have purchased three players for hefty fees: Mason Mount from Chelsea (an initial £55 million), goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan (an initial £43.8 million), and 20-year-old old striker Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for a whopping £72 million.

At the time of writing, Hojlund is yet to make his debut for the Red Devils due to injury, so we’ve omitted him from our combined XI ahead of this season’s first meeting between the two clubs at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. However, there’s a chance that the Denmark international will make his maiden appearance for his new employers this weekend. The young centre-forward will be under pressure to hit the ground running from the off.

Now let’s take a closer look at the 2023-24 Arsenal and Man United combined XI. This is based on everyone being fit and available to play, by the way, so injured players are eligible for selection too.

Goalkeeper: Andre Onana

A very tough call to begin with. Andre Onana has had a mixed start to life as Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper, it’s fair to say, although the 27-year-old has made an overall positive impact since replacing David de Gea - last season’s Premier League Golden Glove winner. His distribution is second to none and he’s already made some fantastic saves during his opening games for Erik ten Hag’s side.

Is Aaron Ramsdale unfortunate to miss out? Of course. The 25-year-old was superb for the Gunners at times last season, although it will be fascinating to see whether the England international retains his status as Arsenal’s No. 1 over the coming weeks with Raya now breathing firmly down his neck.

Right-back: Ben White

There’s no doubt that Aaron Wan-Bissaka has shown real signs of improvement over the past 12 to 18 months. There was a point where it looked like the former Crystal Palace defender would need to leave Old Trafford in order to rediscover his form and confidence. So, credit to Wan-Bissaka for turning things around for himself. He was close to taking the right-back position in this combined XI.

But we’ve gone for Ben White, one of 13 current and former players that we recently listed in a separate article for not really loving football. While he may not enjoy spending his free time watching football, that clearly hasn’t prevented the England international from becoming a top defender.

READ MORE: 13 famous players who don’t love football ft. Ronaldinho, Ben White and Tevez

Centre-back: William Saliba

William Saliba is often described as a “Rolls Royce” of a defender and it’s easy to see why. The 22-year-old Frenchman, who has represented his country on eight occasions since 2022, possesses all the attributes that you’d want from a modern-day centre-back. He’s strong, quick, good in the air, reads the game well, and is impressively composed for such a young player.

Often compared to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, Saliba admitted he wanted to emulate one of United’s current players back in 2020: “Now that I have achieved my dream of becoming a footballer, I want to do what Raphael Varane has done, the best French defender - continue to go to the next level, play for the French national team and win all titles possible.”

Centre-back: Lisandro Martinez

Too small to play in the Premier League? Lisandro Martinez had Jamie Carragher apologising at the end of last season after writing him off during the opening weeks of the 2022-23 campaign. The 25-year-old, who lifted the World Cup with Argentina last December, is proof that you don’t need to be a 6ft 4in tall and built like a heavyweight boxer to succeed as a central defender in the Premier League.

Nicknamed ‘The Butcher’ due to his aggressive style of play, the combative Martinez is a firm fan favourite at the Theatre of Dreams, and United fans will be desperately hoping the South American stays with them for many more years to come. They wouldn’t swap him for anyone right now.

Left-back: Luke Shaw

Now in his 10th season as a Manchester United player - where has that time gone?! - Luke Shaw is one of Man United’s most important players. That’s partly because they don’t have many options at left-back as things stand, although Marc Cucurella may have completed a move to Old Trafford from Chelsea by the time the transfer window closes.

An honourable mention must go to Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, the versatile Ukrainian who joined the Gunners from Manchester City in 2022. Zinchenko won four Premier League winners’ medals and was a little unfortunate to miss out on a fifth with Arsenal last season.

Defensive midfield: Declan Rice

A player who could prove to be the difference between Arsenal finishing as runners-up and winning the Premier League, Declan Rice is under pressure to justify his enormous transfer fee this season. We all know that the former West Ham captain is a class act, but can he take his game to a new level in north London?

One of Rice’s best friends is Mason Mount, who will miss Sunday’s match against Arsenal through injury. Mount has struggled during his opening few weeks at Old Trafford, but it’s also Ten Hag’s responsibility to ensure Man Utd get the most out of the midfielder over the course of the current campaign and beyond.

Central midfield: Martin Odegaard

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Martin Odegaard was a 15-year-old wonderkid, making headlines thanks to his remarkable ability and potential, and courting the attention of Europe’s top clubs. The Norwegian ended up leaving Stromsgodset for Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2015 but struggled to force his way into the first team at the Bernabeu.

He eventually left Madrid for Arsenal on a permanent transfer in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since. Now widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s best players, Odegaard was appointed Arsenal captain in the summer of 2022, aged just 23 at the time, and is a class act both on and off the pitch.

Central midfield: Bruno Fernandes

Speaking of captains, Bruno Fernandes became Man Utd’s new skipper in the summer after Ten Hag took the armband away from Harry Maguire. While the Portuguese midfielder is often guilty of being one of the Premier League’s biggest moaners, even by his own admission, there’s no denying his incredible ability. There aren’t many better playmakers in the world - just ask Kevin De Bruyne.

Fernandes would get into most teams in world football and it will be a travesty if Man Utd fail to win a few big trophies during his spell at the club. In his first four seasons, Bruno has so far only managed to win the EFL Cup with the Red Devils - but he’ll do his utmost to try and change that this term.

Right-wing: Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka has the world at his feet. The England international, who turns 22 on September 5, is Arsenal’s star boy with the potential to further cement his status as one of the world’s best wingers this season. Man Utd have spent huge money on wingers Antony and Jadon Sancho over the past couple of years but Saka is head and shoulders above both of them.

With 14 goals and 12 assists in the Premier League alone last season, Saka is now one of the Premier League’s most effective forwards. If he plays as well as he did last term then Arsenal stand an excellent chance of ending their 20-year wait for the league title.

Left-wing: Gabriel Martinelli

We couldn’t leave Gabriel Martinelli out given his performance levels during the previous campaign. Fifteen Premier League goals and nine assists was a sensational return from the 22-year-old, who took his game to a whole new level.

The Brazil international is lightning quick, skilful and, like the aforementioned Saka, now lethal in and around the penalty area. It’s scary to think how good the pair of them will be in a few years’ time.

Centre-forward: Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford’s favoured position - and the position where he’s most effective - is on the left wing. However, for the purposes of this combined XI we’ve had to shift him to the centre-forward position, in order to accommodate Martinelli. An honourable mention must go to Gabriel Jesus, though.

We couldn’t omit the player who scored 17 Premier League goals and provided seven assists for Man Utd last term. Rashford has done remarkably well to transform his fortunes at Old Trafford. His career at the Theatre of Dreams appeared dead in the water at one point. Now he’s signed a new five-year contract, worth a reported £300,000 a week, and will spend the best years of his career with his boyhood club.