Man Utd play Brentford in the Premier League today and this is how our writers think they should line up.
David joined the MEN as Chief Manchester United Writer in September 2025.
United face Brentford today(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United take on Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
United will visit the Gtech Community Stadium for an early kick-off, and Ruben Amorim is hoping to secure back-to-back league wins for the first time since his appointment.
Amorim oversaw an important 2-1 victory against Chelsea last weekend. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez received a red card within just a few minutes, and United were cruising into the interval until Casemiro was shown a second yellow card.
Casemiro is suspended for Brentford, while Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui are injured. Amad is unavailable for the game and is receiving club support after a family bereavement.
This is how our writers think United should line up:
David McDonnell
Kobbie Mainoo has had to wait for his first Premier League start of the season, but Amorim should finally end his suffering at Brentford.
Casemiro’s suspension means it’s a straight choice between Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte to partner Bruno Fernandes in midfield. With Ugarte having played poorly when given the nod, particularly in the defeat at Manchester City, Mainoo deserves to start.
The absence of Amad and Mazraoui opens the door for Diogo Dalot to return in the right wing-back role, while I would stick with Altay Bayindir in goal – for continuity – and the three-man central defence that performed so well against Chelsea.
In attack, I’m going with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sekso.
David’s team
Steven Railston
Lammens should be playing over Bayindir, so I will continue to pick him in my team each week.
I’m almost as stubborn as Amorim, although I do think United’s head coach should budge on his midfield stance. Amorim has declared Mainoo is competing with Fernandes, but I think they should partner each other today. United want to take the game to Brentford and Mainoo will help control the game.
Mbeumo, Sesko and Cunha are my attacking selection, and hopefully Sesko gets off the mark soon.
Steven’s team
–
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.