Manchester United

Brentford beat Manchester United 4-3 in this fixture last season, but that was a different Brentford - with Thomas Frank their manager and Bryan Mbeumo playing for them, not for United.

The Bees are a difficult team to predict now because Keith Andrews has had some mixed results since taking charge - they ended up being out-played by Fulham last week, but they are still unbeaten at home.

I am not sure what we will see from Ruben Amorim's side, either.

Robbie Savage was telling me on 606 that United have got the best xG (expected goals) in the Premier League, which suggests they have under-achieved so far.

I can see this being quite a tight game and while I didn't go for any draws at all last week - I got a bit complacent because I was finding it so easy to beat AI and decided I would pick a winner in every game - I am going to start with one this time.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

We have had questions in via our 'Ask about Manchester United' form about whether Manchester United's board and head coach Ruben Amorim regret not finding a place in the squad for Marcus Rashford.

The answer is no, I don't get the sense they do. I realise his form so far for Barcelona has been really good - one missed meeting aside - but United just do not believe Rashford would perform like that for them.

I got the definite impression from Amorim that he wanted to move on from Rashford and, in fairness to the people around the player, I think he accepted he needed to be re-energised by a fresh challenge, which gives him a shot at making the England World Cup squad.

Everyone knows how good Rashford can be, but it had been a long time since he had performed to anything like that level at United - even if I don't agree with Paul Scholes' stinging criticism earlier this week.

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Plenty has been said about Manchester United's transfer business in recent seasons, not much of it positive.

Clearly when they are spending upwards of £200m every summer, they need to start getting more deals right than wrong if they are to start climbing the Premier League in any meaningful sense.

To that end, Bryan Mbeumo's arrival feels like a positive.

He is not the loudest or demonstrative individual, certainly compared to fellow new arrival Matheus Cunha.

However, there is a quiet authority about Mbeumo. Ahead of the striker's return to Brentford, United head coach Ruben Amorim spoke about the "light" he brings to the dressing room.

That focus is going to be crucial in the weeks that lie ahead.

Two goals in six games does not represent a prolific start to Mbeumo's United career.

However, his contribution extends much further. If his first couple of months at the club are any guide, the £71m they might eventually end up paying for him will be money very well spent indeed.

Grace Wheeler
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium (kick-off 12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news: "Lisandro Martínez is out, Casemiro will not make an appearance because of his red card. Amad is not here, someone in his family passed away so we are giving all the support to him. The rest are fit and ready."

• United could record back-to-back wins and Amorim said: "These kind of games we need to be focused and have the feeling we will win every match. It is really important and we talk about that in the end of the game. It is important to have that sense of urgency that we need to win no matter what. Every time you start to watch the next opponent you feel it is going to be really tough. The most important is to start the way we start against Burnley and Arsenal."

• On feeling confident they can win two in a row: "It is normal for the fans not to know what is going to happen. I have an idea but I don't know, so the best way of dealing with that is that every game is the last one. We think the next game is going to be really important in a long time for Manchester United."

• Summer signing Bryan Mbeumo drew praise: "Everything that he has been doing - the light that he brings to the dressing room, he's the guy that talks more. You can feel it. He is always there to help us. He runs a lot, he talks a lot and he is a different step to last season."

• Amorim was asked about targeting Premier League players for transfers and said: "It depends. Every player you want to buy in the Premier League is really expensive so you have to also manage that, but if you look to our moments last year you want to take the less risky move. It was really important to have top players in our team and Bryan and [Matheus] Cunha were not just doing this one year."

Hear more from Amorim on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Manchester United need to "take notice" of the data if they are to improve this season, says former defender Rio Ferdinand.

The Reds Devils have won two games so far this Premier League campaign and sit 11th in the table. And with a goal difference of minus two, consistently finding the back of the net has been a challenge.

However, statistics have previously suggested that Ruben Amorim's side have been playing better than their results suggest.

"I don't get strung along by data, but when there is data that's punching you in the nose, you've got to take notice of it," Ferdinand told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"When you look at all of the data around chances created and shots – in that element of the game Manchester United are really thriving. The only key area – the most important data – which isn't functioning and firing is the actual ball hitting back of the net.

"We're getting ourselves in the right positions to do that, but we just haven't executed. That has got to change. That has got to be an uplift - 100%.

"Before a ball was kicked this season, I was hopeful of change. I'm still probably in the hopeful situation right now, so that's not great. And only consistent results and a change in that area is going to change the way Manchester United fans feel about the team."

With his reluctance to move away from his three-at-the-back style, boss Amorim has already come under scrutiny with United's slow start to the season.

Asked whether he still sees the Portuguese being in charge in by January, Ferdinand responded: "I can, yeah - if results start improving and becoming more consistent in a positive way.

"The guys at Ineos are sensible guys. They are not knee-jerk reaction guys that are going to make a decision off the back of one result.

"It's a holistic approach. You can't give a manager a huge windfall of money to spend and then go and sack him after five or six games."

Listen back on BBC Sounds

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

It is an incredible statistic that Ruben Amorim has not won back-to-back Premier League games since he replaced Erik ten Hag at Manchester United last November.

That will be the target on Saturday, when United look to follow up last week's win over Chelsea by beating another west London side, Brentfordat the Gtech.

Casemiro will be suspended, so it is likely either Manuel Ugarte or Kobbie Mainoo will fill the midfield role, while Matheus Cunha is pushing for a start after returning from injury as a substitute against Chelsea.

Noussair Mazraoui seemed to pick up another injury in that game, so Amorim should update on his fitness and it will be interesting to see if he gives any clue when new goalkeeper Senne Lammens might make his debut.

Come back to this page later on Friday for all the key lines from Amorim.

Manchester United have agreed a deal with Fortaleza to sign 17-year-old Colombian midfielder Cristian Orozco once he turns 18 in July. (Athletic), external

United are also looking to finalise a deal for Derby's 16-year-old English goalkeeper Charlie Hardy. (Sun), external

Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 28, has emerged as a target for Manchester United. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Wales Under-21 international Gabriele Biancheri caught the eye with an excellent performance off the bench in Manchester United's last-gasp Premier League International Cup win over Athletic Club at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Biancheri, who also qualifies for Canada and Italy, was one of four second-half substitutes by United coach Travis Binnion that helped turn round a game they were losing at half-time.

The 19-year-old's sprint down the right and low cross created an opportunity for Gibraltar international James Scanlon to equalise.

Then, in the third minute of injury time, Biancheri's close-range shot struck a post, hit the unlucky Athletic goalkeeper and bounced in to give United victory in their first game in the competition, in front of about 1,600 supporters.

Striker Chido Obi was left on the bench throughout as Binnion navigates a testing run of fixtures, the most important of which is next week's EFL Trophy trip to Lincoln City.

The game was watched by United's technical director Jason Wilcox and new head of academy Stephen Torpey, who joined from Brentford this week.

United's under-18 coach Darren Fletcher was also at the game, watching son Jack, who started at left-back before moving into a more usual central midfield role.

Fletcher is currently on crutches after having surgery on a knee injury suffered in a recent Legends game at Celtic.

He is still carrying out full coaching duties, although United are using a golf buggy to get the former Scotland international around.

Manchester United are interested in 32-year-old England striker Harry Kane, who could leave Bayern Munich next summer. (Star), external

Kobbie Mainoo is prepared to leave Manchester United in January in search of regular football. The midfielder had a loan request turned down by the club in the summer. (Mirror), external

Aston Villa are eyeing a permanent move for United forward Jadon Sancho, who is on loan at the club for the 2025-26 season. (National World), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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There is no competitive European football for Manchester United's senior men's team this season – but the Under-21s have been given the chance to play at Old Trafford instead.

A day after United confirmed their women's side would play their Champions League first phase game against French heavyweights Paris St-Germain at the 'Theatre of Dreams' on 12 November, the club's younger male players will face Athletic Bilbao in the Premier League International Cup.

The competition was launched in 2014, since when it has grown to its current status where it features 32 teams, 16 from England and 16 from the rest of Europe. All teams play four matches, all held in England and all featuring an English team against a European.

United have been regular participants down the years but only once before have they held a game in the main stadium, when Monaco beat a side that contained Kobbie Mainoo 2-0 in front of over 6,000 in November 2022.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United have started work to expand their safe standing capacity at Old Trafford by 6,000.

The rail seats will be installed in Tier 2 of the Stretford End and will make the stadium one of the Premier League's leading venues for safe standing.

It means around one sixth of Old Trafford will be covered by safe standing space when the work is complete.

The club said a first phase of the new seats will be in place for the upcoming fixture against Sunderland but the safe standing section will need to be formally approved by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority prior to the new section being certified as safe standing in full.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of October.

"This latest development reflects the club's ongoing investment in enhancing the matchday experience, with safe standing widely recognised for boosting atmosphere while also improving safety," the club said.

Alex Turk
Fan writer

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Whether you are growing your hair until Manchester United win five matches in a row or not, there is new reason for optimism.

United's hard-fought 2-1 victory over Chelsea has birthed an opportunity to build momentum and ease the pressure on Ruben Amorim.

The Portuguese head coach has won back-to-back Premier League home games for the first time since he took charge.

A trip to 17th-place Brentford on Saturday presents a chance for his maiden consecutive league wins, as shocking as that fact is.

Sunderland's visit to Old Trafford follows. Not as straightforward as one may have expected before the season, but certainly favourable.

Amorim must prove he can string some wins together as United boss, rather than a welcome victory becoming soured by a morale-busting defeat one week later.

The Red Devils' productivity and intensity with a one-man advantage for much of the first half against Chelsea was hugely encouraging.

The defensive resilience and threat on the counter-attack after Casemiro's dismissal was just as impressive. This is not a squad that hasn't bought into its head coach's philosophy.

United are three points off second place before the meetings with Brentford and Sunderland, but sit in 11th after five games.

Amorim will ultimately be judged on whether he can guide the club back to European football this season.

He should pay with his job if he cannot, and he will not meet that target if his side do not start winning games more consistently.

A rollercoaster of results is better than the drastic dive of last season, but success will never be linear.

Amorim needs to leave the theme park and, instead, ensure the theme of United's season is more performances like against Chelsea.

Find more from Alex Turk at Turk Talks FC, external

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Barcelona want to do a deal with Manchester United to sign forward Marcus Rashford for £26m - a fee short of United's valuation, which is closer to £35m. (Star), external

Meanwhile, United have prioritised a "major goalkeeper signing" next summer. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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The latest episode of The Devils' Advocate has dropped and the team are discussing all things Man Utd.

Presenter Joe McGrath says he is seeing glimpses of a good striker in Benjamin Sesko: "I was intrigued by the way he [Sesko] played because the Premier League defences don't know really what he's about or to make of him yet.

"He did help us a lot with drawing defenders out, becoming a bit of a nuisance, getting the penalty decision for United. I just can't wait for him to score, or to get that finish. And you can see how much it might mean to him, and the confidence it might give him.

"I know some people are looking at him already and thinking it's a couple games into the season, why hasn't he got a Manchester United goal? But I am seeing glimpses of of a good striker. Especially against Chelsea.

"His touch and his ability to make movements is different to what we've seen in the past with Hojlund and Zirkzee, who's a completely different player. I am excited for him to get more football. It's just unfortunate we don't have much football to give him this year."

Co-presenter Gaz Drinkwater discussed Luke Shaw bouncing back after a poor performance against Manchester City: "We have to give a lot of credit to Luke Shaw. He was very good against Chelsea. We criticised him last week. It was one of his worst ever United performances against City. But he came back and he proved what he can do when he's at his best. And it shows that Shaw does have a decent mentality to come back from that.

"When that ball was in the air for that second goal he just goes flying in. I loved that."

Listen to the full episode here

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

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It was no surprise that Manchester United fans voted Bruno Fernandes their player of the match in the chaotic 2-1 win over Chelsea at the weekend.

The Portuguese midfielder was voted also voted man of the match on his debut in 2020 and has since become the club's talisman, steering the team through plenty of rocky waters in the intervening years. United's top scorer last season, he has reached double figures for goal involvements every season he has been at the club.

The 31-year-old has won the fans' player of the year award four times in his six seasons at the club, and against Chelsea, Fernandes earned over half of the votes after a typically energetic performance that saw him score his 100th goal in United colours.

Plenty of those goals have been crucial, including the injury-time winner against Burnley earlier this season. Saturday's goal came in his 200th Premier League game – he would not have reached that landmark had he accepted a lucrative offer from the Saudi Pro League in the summer.

United fans are increasingly grateful that he did not.

A new episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast has dropped to light up your Monday Monday.

This week Gaz, Joe and Tom Cooney react to Manchester United's win over Chelsea.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Man Utd and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

United fans

Rateesh: Manchester United can't catch a break from all these criticisms - win or lose. Today, the players worked hard and fought for the team until the very end. No one seems to care about it or even mention it.

Ron: Ruben Amorim is showing dedication to the monumental task of turning Man Utd in the right direction while in the unforgiving spotlight of the Premier League. Casemiro very naive for such an experienced player.

Steve; Only a week ago, I was Amorim out but after this win and seeing we are three points off second - what a difference a result makes. This doesn't paper over the fact that we still made silly mistakes but no-one can question the commitment to the cause of the players and that surely can only produce more positive results in the next games. Matthijs de Ligt by the way is a monster of a player and very underrated. Excellent again.

Andrew: The conditions made this match a bit of a farce. It wasn't helped by some questionable refereeing either. That aside, what about United's performance? Yet again, they blew hot and cold. The system clearly doesn't work and this match with early dismissals and enforced changes didn't give any indication of progress. Defensively they did OK but the manager consistently changes the back four and the midfield is too easy to play through. This team, under this manager and with this system, is going nowhere. If you want a fairer comparison, then look at Tottenham under Thomas Frank.

Chelsea fans

David: Another costly error from Robert Sanchez and then very poor substitutions by Enzo Maresca. If he knew Cole Palmer was not fully fit why not take him off first at least we would have had an attack. Lincoln City must fancy their chances.

Chris: If you can't beat a hapless team like Man Utd, you know you are in big trouble. Once again, Sanchez left us in the lurch and then Maresca sacrifices probably our most creative player in Estevao Willian because of the red card! The whole defence were a shambles for the first 20 minutes and didn't get much better. Reece James is a shadow of the player he used to be and all in all Chelsea are in a bad place at present with a manager that doesn't seem to have a clue when the chips are down!

Timo: Bizarre decisions everywhere. A goalkeeper problem compounded by a manager's panicky reaction. The lack of authority and maturity was laid bare. Too much method - insufficient savvy.

Nevlar: Garbage. Pedestrian and lacking in any creativity except with a touch of desperation before the end. United there for the taking and we had no clue.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are all interested in signing 28-year-old Juventus and Brazil defender Gleison Bremer. (Teamtalk), external

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has urged midfielder Carlos Baleba to remain grounded despite rumours of a move, with Manchester United interested in signing the 21-year-old Cameroon international in the summer. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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