Erik ten Hag without Man Utd's secret weapon for must-win clash with Brentford

Erik 10 Hag survived a important location gathering with Brentford successful October 2023 but the Manchester United manager volition request to find himself a caller leader this clip around

Manchester United manager Erik 10 Hag has had an planetary interruption to regroup, but the unit connected the Dutchman volition beryllium backmost for his team's lucifer against Brentford connected Saturday.

United person failed to people successful immoderate of their past 3 Premier League outings, astir precocious playing retired a goalless gully distant astatine Aston Villa. Ten Hag's squad person conscionable 5 league goals from 7 outings - lone Southampton person fewer, portion some Ipswich and Wolves person scored much contempt not yet winning a azygous match.

Eight points from 7 matches represents United's lowest ever full astatine this signifier of a Premier League season. It's 1 less than astatine this constituent past season, erstwhile Ten Hag's squad had scored 7 goals.

Strangely, their eighth lucifer past play besides saw them invited Brentford to Old Trafford. On that occasion, they were rescued by super-sub Scott McTominay, but they won't beryllium capable to telephone connected the Scotland planetary this clip around.

“Consistency, that is the occupation we are struggling with,” Ten Hag said up of the match. "In parts of the crippled - I volition accidental successful large parts of the crippled - we bash a batch of things right, but past determination are moments wherever we are struggling - and successful specified moments we can't survive.

United went into the crippled disconnected the backmost of a Champions League decision astatine location to Galatasaray, which featured a nervy show from goalkeeper Andre Onana and a reddish paper for Casemiro. Onana past failed to support retired a first-half effort from Brentford's Mathias Jensen astatine Old Trafford, prompting immoderate Brentford fans to regale Ten Hag with a chorus of 'You're getting sacked successful the morning".

Ten Hag turned to his seat successful the 2nd half, with Christian Eriksen, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony Martial introduced astatine assorted points. McTominay came connected 3 minutes from clip arsenic a last propulsion of the dice, but it was helium who made the quality with a brace of stoppage-time goals to crook the crippled connected its head.

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That wasn't the lone clip United benefited from McTominay's goals, with lone Rasmus Hojlund bettering his 7 successful the league. This was contempt McTominay starting conscionable 18 league games, and helium decided to determination connected implicit the summertime successful the anticipation he'd beryllium capable to get much regular minutes astatine Napoli.

So it has proved, with the Scot making a speedy aboriginal interaction nether Antonio Conte. The 27-year-old scored his archetypal Napoli extremity successful a 5-0 Coppa Italia triumph implicit Palermo successful precocious September, and opened his Serie A relationship a week aboriginal arsenic Conte's broadside won 3-1 against Como.

While McTominay thrives connected the continent, his erstwhile nine person struggled to asseverate themselves contempt £200million worthy of caller players arriving successful the summertime transportation window. Ten Hag mightiness request bailing retired again arsenic past threatens to repetition itself against Brentford, but he'll request a caller leader to measurement forward.