Erik ten Hag has to make Manchester United transfer request after Brentford shambles

Disastrous De Gea

A few weeks ago David de Gea spoke with confidence about how he can play out from the back, even suggesting he was insulted by the idea he couldn't and pledged to stay at Manchester United for life if he could.

His contract is up at the end of this season and considering he's the best-paid goalkeeper in the world at the moment, it would be madness for United to even consider opening talks.

De Gea had a good season last term when his strengths as a shot-stopper were to the fore. But the blunder he made for Brentford's first was about as it gets and, despite his own protestations, he clearly can't pass out from the back.

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His pass into Christian Eriksen that led to Brentford's second was ill-advised and suggested a hint of panic. He's got plenty to prove already, with Dean Henderson waiting in the wings if he impresses at Nottingham Forest.

Erik ten Hag could yet act earlier than that. A goalkeeper is still on the transfer wishlist this summer and on this evidence, the United boss might want more funds to find someone who can offer another threat to his No. 1.

Ten Hag's tactical mistake

Ten Hag has made it perfectly clear how he wants to play as United manager, but this still felt an unnecessarily and cavalier way to set the team up.

There will be no rush to castigate United's new manager, despite back-to-back defeats in his first two, clearly winnable games, but his selection and set-up were certainly concerning.

It's hard to ever remember an occasion when Eriksen has played as a holding midfielder in a 4-3-3 system, or just as a holding midfielder. For all his quality on the ball, which Ten Hag touched on pre-match, he has never been a midfielder you would