A youthful Manchester United side suffered defeat away to Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United have now gone six Premier League games without a win after losing 2-1 to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Ruben Amorim had one eye on the second leg against Athletic Club with his team selection. Academy trio Chido Obi, Harry Amass and Tyler Fredricson all started against the Bees.
United started brightly with Mason Mount scoring the opener and they finished well with goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo, but it wasn’t quite enough to match Brentford’s four-goal flurry.
Chido Obi enters Man United history books
As promised, Amorim trusted academy players at Brentford, with Manchester United fielding their youngest-ever side in the Premier League.
The trio of Fredricson, Amass and Obi all started in London, and the latter broke a club record in the process.
Obi is now United’s youngest-ever starter in the Premier League, although sadly he endured a frustrating afternoon with no service up-front.
There will be more minutes for him this season to prove himself.
Mason Mount is fighting for his Man United future
United started brightly at Brentford and it was Mason Mount who opened the scoring with a neat finish following a well-worked cross from Alejandro Garnacho.
Mount’s last goal came in March 2024, also at Brentford, and United’s No.7 desperately needed to get himself back on the scoresheet.
Mount’s value has plummeted since joining United, and there have been a few murmurs over his future. A strong end to the season should set him up nicely to kick on in 2025/26.
Man United desperately need a new goalkeeper
Amorim kept faith in Andre Onana in the Europa League, but in the Premier League, he decided to leave him completely out of the matchday squad here.
It was Altay Bayindir who was given the nod to start, but the 27-year-old was a bundle of nerves between the sticks.
Bayindir frequently slipped on the turf, fumbled his passes and almost conceded a horror goal early on after miscommunicating with Luke Shaw.
After failing to impress this season, Bayindir is expected to leave in the summer. With Tom Heaton also on his way out, United are in desperate need of a new goalkeeper.
Luke Shaw’s disaster as captain
With Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire named on the bench, Amorim needed a new captain for the trip to Brentford and it was 29-year-old Luke Shaw who was handed the armband.
It seems Shaw will fit as a centre-back in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system rather than as a wing-back, but the United boss might want to re-think that after what he saw against Brentford.
Shaw was too easily beaten on United’s left and Brentford’s equaliser came through an effort that deflected off his shoulder. He was also poor in possession, losing the ball six times in the first half before he was eventually taken off and replaced by Leny Yoro at half-time.
Matthijs de Ligt’s season could be over
The entire season hinges on winning the Europa League, so Amorim will have wanted to see progress from his side against Brentford, but it was also important to escape London unscathed.
Unfortunately, that was not the case as Matthijs de Ligt went down in the first half clutching his knee. The 25-year-old was replaced by Maguire and he hobbled down the tunnel in agony.
De Ligt only made his return against Athletic Club midweek, but now he will spend another spell on the sidelines.
Unfortunately, it looks likely that this was the last United fans will see of the Dutch defender this season.
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