Big spenders Manchester United launch English Premier League season

Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur in the opening game of the 2015/16 English Premier League season. United need to show that they are ready to mount a title challenge after two lost years following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal (right) with assistant coach Ryan Giggs, led the side to fourth in the Premier League last season. DR

The answers will come over the course of the next few months. But as the English Premier League season kicks off on Saturday with the early afternoon match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, two questions come to mind.

Have United spent wisely and will Tottenham's Harry Kane reproduce last season's scintillating form?

Louis van Gaal took control at United just after leading the Netherlands to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

His brief was to return the side to the Uefa Champions League and from there to the top of the Premier League. The 64-year-old Dutchman has fulfilled the first part of the bargain.

United are set to compete against the Belgian side Bruges in the final play-off round for a place in the group stages of the 2015/2016 competition.

And on Saturday, Old Trafford will be the venue for the first game of the new Premier League season. United's faithful will have the chance to gauge whether van Gaal has spent nearly 120 million euros wisely.

He has drafted in defender Matteo Darmian from Torino, striker Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven, Argentina international goalkeeper Sergio Romero from Sampdoria, midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton and Germany skipper Bastain Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich.

It's a mouthwatering roster of rising and proven international talent. But can they meld to dislodge the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal who all finished ahead of United last season?

Tottenham's tactics last season became quite simple: get the ball to Kane.

The 22-year-old was on the periphery of the team at the start of the 2014/15 campaign. But after bright performances in cup competitions, Spurs boss Mauriccio Pochettino began to use him in Premier League matches. Kane scored more than 30 goals, won the young player of the year award and marked his senior England debut with a goal.

Spurs finished fifth last season, six points behind Manchester United. The north Londoners will be in the Europa League this season while United could be in the Champions League.

A few years back, both were in the Champions League. In 2011, Spurs reached the last eight and with a fourth place finish in the 2011/12 season they would have featured in the 2012-13 competition had Chelsea not won the 2012 tournament and qualified as defending champions.

Such has been Spurs' luck. But fortune has smiled on them with the emergence of Kane. United will need Depay to be as prolific as Kane and for the rest of the expensive recruits to be just as glittering if van Gaal's project is to attain its next stage.