Man United make unusual change to their match day schedule ahead of Brentford fixture in bid to make sure England star Kobbie Mainoo can play in Premier League return
Manchester United have made a change to their match day plans for their game against Brentford.
Erik ten Hag‘s side will continue their hunt for a Champions League place on Saturday night when they travel to the capital to take on Thomas Frank’s strugglers.
They are currently nine points off Aston Villa in fourth with 10 games left to play, though trail Tottenham in fifth by six points, with fifth potentially enough to mix it with Europe’s elite next season.
The Red Devils will be heavily backed to pick up three points on Saturday, with Brentford currently 15th and struggling with injuries as they find themselves getting dragged into a relegation battle.
The club, however, have made an unusual adaption to their match day plans as they prepare to get back into action after the international break.
Manchester United have made an unusual change to their match day schedule for their game against Brentford
The Red Devils are looking to build on their win over Liverpool as the Premier League returns and a number of players were spotted at Manchester Airport on Saturday morning
The decision will allow the likes of Kobbie Mainoo (pictured) to be fit for Saturday evening’s game
United will reportedly travel to the game on the day of the match, rather than the day before, as usual, due to the scheduled kick off time.
The game is set to kick off at 8pm GMT, with Sky Sports set to show the fixture live in a blockbuster day of Premier League action.
Some of the team were pictured at Manchester Airport on Saturday morning as they prepared to travel south.
Saturday will see eight gams played in the top flight, with Newcastle versus West Ham kicking off proceedings in the lunch time kick off ahead of five 3pm games.
Aston Villa will then host Wolves at 5:30pm, before an additional fixture – United’s clash with Brentford – take place in the evening.
United’s decision to travel on the day of the game comes due to the kick off time, meaning there will be plenty of time for them to travel before they need to be at the GTECH Community Stadium.
It is the fourth time this season United have had a game moved to 8pm on a Saturday – the most of any team in the Premier League – and all of them have been away from home following visits to Newcastle, Sheffield United and Burnley.
It has also been reported that the delayed departure will give some of their key stars extra recovery time regarding illness and injury, including Kobbie Mainoo.
Mainoo starred for England as he made his international debut over the last fortnight, but missed training on Thursday as he struggled with illness upon his return to club duty.
Erik ten Hag said on Friday of his teenage star: ‘Yesterday he skipped training because he was ill. I don’t know (if he will be fit). We hope. Today he is there, not fully recovered but we still have many hours before tomorrow with kick-off at 8pm.’
United are currently nine points off the Champions League spots with 10 games left to play
Brentford, meanwhile, are struggling and will be without a number of key players for the game
The likes of Jonny Evans will also face late fitness tests ahead of the game.
Brentford, meanwhile, will remain without the likes of Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock as their injury troubles continue to mount.
Bryan Mbeumo, however, is expected to play some part, as will Ivan Toney on the back of scoring for England against Belgium on Tuesday.
