Erik ten Hag has an obvious Manchester United tactical decision to make vs Brentford

After last Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Brighton, nothing less than a victory and a much-improved performance will be acceptable for Manchester United when they face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium this teatime.

After Old Trafford was fuelled with fresh optimism and excitement ahead of kick-off against the Seagulls, it was emptied at full-time with a feeling of anger and discontent. United, not for the first time in recent months, produced another uninspiring and toothless performance on their own patch.

Ten Hag, despite his desperate need for new signings ahead of the transfer window closing, saw his tactical gamble crumble against Brighton, with his decision to deploy summer signing Christian Eriksen as a false nine backfiring miserably. As much as an outstanding player Eriksen is, you are never going to see the best of him as a striker.

READ MORE: Erik ten Hag makes decision on Marcus Rashford's future at Manchester United

He was unable to lead the line and bring others into play, meaning the first half of his United debut was one that he is not likely to remember fondly. Trailing 2-0 at half-time, however, Ten Hag was left with no choice but to make changes, with Cristiano Ronaldo's introduction just eight minutes after the restart being the first.

The former Juventus man stepped off the bench to replace Fred, meaning he immediately took up residency at the top end of the pitch, forcing Eriksen back into midfield. However, the Dane did not slot into his most familiar role - the attacking-midfield position - as Ten Hag instructed him to drop deep and operate as United's deep-lying playmaker, lining up alongside Scott McTominay.

Immediately, Eriksen began to show why United had made the decision to sign him; he