Manchester United are about to come up against their ideal signing vs Brentford

A 2-1 October home win against Brentford would be just the ticket for Manchester United. Perhaps not through 93rd and 97th minute goals this time, though.

United do not have Scott McTominay to turn to this weekend but their injury list is not as long as it was during the international fortnight.

Brentford scored as many Premier League goals against Wolves two weeks ago as United have in seven games. Bryan Mbeumo alone has tallied more league goals than United, on -3 goal difference having failed to score in four of their past five league fixtures.

Here are five things to look out for against Brentford:

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Casemiro curse?

The first explicit signal from United that Casemiro was in decline came against Brentford at Old Trafford in October last year when he was substituted at half-time. He started the season sluggishly and his clumsy dismissal a few days earlier made victory possible for Galatasaray.

Twelve months on, Casemiro is poised to start against Brentford out of necessity. United's failure to prioritise the midfield in the summer has contributed to all three of their league defeats and Manuel Ugarte's international commitments with Uruguay risk ruling him out of the next immediate fixture. That is a parallel with the laissez-faire Edinson Cavani he and United could have done without.

Who's at left back?

Tyrell Malacia is technically behind schedule for his comeback, going off Erik ten Hag's timeframe, though it would be senseless to rush him back when he last played for United with David de Gea, Wout Weghorst and Fred as teammates.

United's injury