Forgotten man, shock switch or teen prodigy - Man United running out of options for problem position

The problems at full-back are mounting for Erik ten Hag, with three of his four senior options for the positions ruled out against Brentford this weekend.

Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw remain absent as they recover from lengthy layoffs, while Noussair Mazraoui will now miss a few weeks of action after undergoing a corrective procedure last week, having reported heart palpitations. This leaves Diogo Dalot as the only full-back available to Ten Hag.

The Portugal international has started all 11 games for United this season, with 10 of them coming at left-back, but he could be moved back to the right with summer signing Mazraoui now absent. Dalot has struggled at left-back and found it difficult against Tottenham in the week before the international break.

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Wherever Dalot plays, Ten Hag will need to find an inventive solution. These are the options available to him for the next few weeks, with Saturday's clash against the Bees the first chance to trial an alternative.

Lindelof has become the forgotten man of United's defence. If not for a foot injury in the summer, he probably would have left the club by now. Instead, he will see out the final year of his contract.

The 30-year-old replaced Mazraoui for his first minutes of the season against Aston Villa. He played at left back nine times last season, including in this fixture at Old Trafford. He played the second half against Villa at right back.

Lindelof does give Ten Hag flexibility around Dalot. He recently explained that the 25-year-old had been playing left-back because of the team's patterns