Man Utd predicted XI v Brentford as five ruled out and four are doubts

It has already been a difficult season for Manchester United as Erik ten Hag’s side sit in the lower half of the Premier League table ahead of Saturday’s home game with Brentford.

The Red Devils are without a win in their last five games in all competitions and have collected just two wins in their seven Premier League fixtures so far this season. Confidence appears to be at a low and there is ongoing speculation over Ten Hag’s long-term future at Old Trafford as he struggles to find any consistency from his side. The former Ajax head coach’s problems are hardly helped by the current injury situation at the club as the United manager faces up to something of a selection crisis ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Thomas Frank’s side.

The visitors will arrive at Old Trafford sat two points and three places above the Red Devils and know they could end the weekend sat in a European places if they become the third side to leave the Theatre of Dreams with all three points. But what sort of side will they be facing come 3pm on Saturday afternoon? We take a look at the latest injury updates, team news and possible return dates for a whole host of United players that are working their way back towards full fitness.

Goalkeeper and defence

Andre Onana will start in goal once again but there are a whole host of issues for Ten Hag to contend with when it comes to his defensive ranks. Firstly, Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia and Nossair Mazraoui will all miss out and are not expected to return to contention until next month. Harry Maguire also remains on the sidelines but there is some hope Luke Shaw will be in contention to appear for the first time this season as he nears a return from a calf injury. Jonny Evans could be pressed into action in an emergency left-back role given the number of injuries in defensive positions.

Midfield

There are more issues for Ten Hag in midfield and it seems likely veteran duo Casemiro and Christian Eriksen will start in deep-lying positions after the Red Devils boss was robbed of the services of a number of key players. Kobbie Mainoo will not feature after a hamstring injury forced the academy product to withdraw from the England squad and a muscle injury suffered on international duty with Uruguay means Manuel Ugarte is unlikely to feature. Mason Mount is close to a return to contention but remains a major doubt for the meeting with the Bees.

Forwards

Ten Hag will have to make a decision over who features in the leading role in attack with Rasmus Hojlund and summer signing Joshua Zirkzee both in contention. However, there are some issues in wide areas as Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo are both rated as doubtful with a knee injury and an illness respectively.

Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Martinez, Evans; Casemiro, Eriksen; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund