Man Utd injury news: six out and two doubtful for Brentford clash as Erik ten Hag plagued by defensive woes

Manchester United will be desperate to get their ailing season back on track when they come up against Brentford in the Premier League this weekend. The Red Devils have endured their worst start to a campaign since 1986, taking just nine points from their opening seven matches.

That dire run of form has left Erik ten Hag’s side languishing in mid-table, and United are already nine points adrift of league leaders - and bitter rivals - Manchester City. A miserable situation at Old Trafford has been further compounded by shaky performances in Europe, with Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray only serving to exacerbate a growing sense of discontent around the club.

For their part, Brentford have been contending with struggles of their own, and have not won a Premier League match since August 19th. A 3-0 victory over Fulham remains their only top flight success of the season, and with just seven points from seven outings, they find themselves 14th in the table.

Check out Manchester United’s latest injury news heading into Saturday afternoon’s clash below...

Goalkeeper

United have no new injury concerns to deal with between the sticks, but Andre Onana’s patchy form will no doubt remain a worry for Ten Hag. The Cameroon international put in another questionable display in the Champions League in midweek, and is still yet to show the kind of quality that convinced the Red Devils to spend big on him over the summer.

Still, the likelihood is that he will retain the number one jersey for the time being, with Turkish star Altay Bayindir waiting in the wings if and when an opportunity arises.

Defence

Defensive absences continue to plague United, who once again may have to settle for a relatively makeshift backline at the weekend. Both Luke Shaw and Tyrel Malacia remain sidelined, while Sergio Reguilon - the man parachuted in to deputise in their stead - is also a major doubt for Saturday’s clash.

As a result, that could lead to summer signing Sofyan Amrabat once again playing out of position at left-back - a solution that Ten Hag himself has admitted leaves his side feeling somewhat ‘unbalanced’.

To worsen matters still, first choice centre-back Lisandro Martinez has aggravated a foot injury that may require both surgery and a lengthy stint on the sidelines to fully recover from, while Aaron Wan Bissaka is also unavailable.

Midfield

There’s good news and bad news as far as United are concerned in the middle of the park. On the one hand, Casemiro’s red card in the the midweek defeat to Galatasaray does not preclude him from Premier League action, and Ten Hag could also welcome Antony back to his starting XI following a period of leave for the Brazilian winger.

On the other, the Red Devils are set to be without Jadon Sancho, who is still unavailable for selection following a dispute with his manager, while teenage midfielder Kobie Mainoo has returned to training but is still a doubt heading into the weekend.

Attack

United’s only confirmed absence in attack is Amad Diallo, with the promising young forward set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future having sustained a serious knee injury in pre-season that required surgery. It may be the new year before he is properly ready to return to action.

Elsewhere, Rasmus Hojlund should lead the line will be hoping to add to his midweek brace against Galatasaray by registering a first Premier League strike for his new club.