Three winners and one loser from Manchester United's Brentford postponement

Manchester United’s scheduled Premier League match with Brentford was cancelled in midweek.

United confirmed the update late on Monday night, after Carrington had been shut down due to a Covid outbreak.

Fans are awaiting clarity as to whether Saturday’s planned fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion will go ahead.

In the meantime we can break down who benefits from the re-arranged game, and who loses out…

Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

Winners

Ralf Rangnick: Manchester United’s interim manager Ralf Rangnick is a clear winner from the postponement. He and his new coaches will relish the extra time to break down United’s strengths and weaknesses, the opponent, and to instill their tactical vision into the squad.

There were just two full days between the Norwich game and Brentford match, with travel and recovery time mixed in with that too. United will be fresher by time the re-arranged game with the Bees rolls around. This extra time is exactly what Rangnick would have been hoping for.

Raphael Varane: Raphael Varane is closing in on a return to action, and while the Brentford game probably would have been too soon this week, he should be ready for the re-arranged game.

Edinson Cavani: Edinson Cavani is in a similar situation to Varane, as he was due to return to full training this week. The Brentford fixture probably would have been a bench spot at best, though.

Instead, when the game is re-arranged, Cavani has a stronger chance of being in the starting line-up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, and that’s bad news for Brentford.

Unfortunately… Eric Bailly loses out

The loser amid the postponed fixture is Eric Bailly. The defender was in line for a start this week away at Brentford.

This was due to Victor Lindelof being taken off amid a health scare against Norwich, and Raphael Varane is not quite ready to return.

But when the game is re-arranged, Lindelof may be passed fit to play, along with Varane, and Bailly will have slipped down from second to fourth choice. This would have been a rare Premier League start for him, just his second of the season.

Bailly’s luck could turn against Brighton this weekend if the game goes ahead, but both Varane and Lindelof could also be back in contention by then.