Man Utd: Merson asks Ten Hag to snub star against Brentford; bag drop forecast

Analyst Paul Merson has made his prediction for Manchester United’s game against Brentford and warned Erik ten Hag against signing one of his players.

This game is a must win for Manchester United as they have won just two of their first seven Premier League matches. They also drew their first two Europa League group stage games.

Ten Hag is favorite to be the next Premier League manager fired and supposedly there is ‘three candidates’ on the board to replace him.

The Dutchman was also under immense pressure last season, but INEOS opted to stick with him after Man Utd defeated Man City at Wembley in the FA Cup final.

In the summer, Ten Hag extended his contract until 2026. Despite this, he needed a strong start to the season as he doesn’t have much credit in the bank.

Regarding this weekend’s game, Merson predicted a 2-2 draw and spoke about the “future of Ten Hag”.

“Brentford could score again in the first minute this weekend!” Merson wrote in his column for Sportskeeda.

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“If that happens, you never know what’s next for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United. Brentford are fluent, they will score at Old Trafford, that’s for sure.

“But the problem is that whenever they take the lead, they just can’t maintain it and win. Anyway, Manchester United can’t win a game by a toffee, so I’m going to draw this one.

“I hope Brentford cause them problems throughout this game. In terms of Ten Hag’s future, I think he’s doing well right now.

“Thomas Tuchel has joined England, so he’s another top manager who’s unavailable right now. If Manchester United are beaten by Brentford and sack him, that won’t be the right way to run the club in my opinion.

“Now that they have decided to support him after the international break, I would be shocked if that happened too.

“A club like Manchester United shouldn’t worry about teams like Brentford, they should be their rivals at the top. To be the opposite now is the harsh reality of where they are as a club.”

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Merson also explained why he would not start bringing in Joshua Zirkzee against Brentford in the summer.

“Joshua Zirkzee did well at Bologna, but it’s a different game here in England and especially at Manchester United,” added Merson.

“You’re always under the microscope at this club, if you miss a chance or (don’t) get a chance it’s always a topic of conversation. What is his best position? Where do they play him?

“You also have Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund, so there are four players fighting to be in the top three.

“And no matter who among them Ten Hag decides to give up, he always gets stuck, which is a bit unfortunate.

“Against Brentford, I would choose Hojlund over Zirkzee. He is a better finisher in my opinion and Manchester United will need goals to win because Brentford are definitely scoring.”