Thomas Frank hails David de Gea and denies plan to target Manchester United goalkeeper

Brentford manager Thomas Frank believes David de Gea is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and insisted that his side did not look to target him in their defeat to Manchester United.

Marcus Rashford scored the only goal of the game as United held on to win at Old Trafford on Wednesday night in what was a low-quality match.

United were by far the better side in the first-half, but Brentford grew into the game after the restart and wasted a glorious chance to level the scores.

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Kevin Schade raced through on goal but was unable to find a way past De Gea who stood tall, inviting the striker to take an extra touch, before he made a strong save.

"I think we were a little more open with Schade and Josh (Dasilva)," he said in his post-match press conference. "They had the power to go past people and Kevin we know he got a big chance. He got away from the defender with a top touch, but unfortunately in that situation...I think in that area, De Gea is one of the best in the world in one-on-one situations."

Asked if he had spoken to Schade after the match, he added: "I haven't said too much to him today. He is of course disappointed and wanted to score."

Brentford also had some joy with their high-press in the match and almost grabbed an unlikely goal when De Gea hesitated with the ball and fired his clearance straight at Ivan Toney.

United would have been hugely disappointed if they had conceded in such a situation, but Frank insisted his side did not purposefully target the Spaniard.

He added: "No. I think in general, if you watch us play we normally go high, in the high pressure, we try to press all teams. That was the same with De Gea. It was like it was with Steele