The absence of a midweek match may well be filled by the announcement of a new deal for Kobbie Mainoo that is all but announced.
Bruno Fernandes is also closing in on another record.
Fernandes tallied his 19th Premier League assist of this career-best season of his. He is now one shy of the joint record held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry with four games remaining.
United are practically campaigning for Fernandes during awards season and it was his name the crowd chanted even when Benjamin Sesko got the goal.
A little bit of extra love will do no harm in convincing Fernandes to continue playing at Old Trafford next season.
His future is now effectively moot with United due to have their name in the pot for next season’s Champions League draw.
In another barren season at Old Trafford, Fernandes could clinch his own treble: the PFA and FWA trophies may have a new home alongside the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year statue.
United’s flattering win against Brentford was a good gauge of where they are at.
United enjoyed their best start to a game under Michael Carrick since his first match back in charge yet they have seldom looked so porous.
Igor Thiago started the night three goals behind Erling Haaland for the Premier League Golden Boot and had enough chances to go level with the Manchester City striker.
Fernandes is the talk of the town at United but Senne Lammens was as much of a matchwinner.
The Belgian made three vital saves with United only 1-0 up.
Carrick demanded calmness from United at a goal kick amid Brentford’s dominance and even resorted to a defensive change and formation switch at the interval.
Brentford, victors over United in the reverse fixture in September, lacked the ruthlessness that United exhibited in their penalty area at the start and end of the first half.
The United team leaked before kick-off but the defence was leakier. Carrick initiated a second-half lockdown to record his ninth win from 13 games.
United initially promised a more handsome win and their best spell was the 11 minutes before Casemiro changed the scoreboard.
Mainoo, who has agreed a new five-year contract, embarked on a dribble beyond most playmakers to tee up Amad in the third minute but the left-footer’s right-footed strike bounced off Sepp van den Berg.
That set the tone for both players’ performances.
Carrick felt Mainoo’s performance in the 1-0 win at Chelsea was his best during his three-month tenure and this was another complete midfield display.
Mainoo was more comfortable mucking in than Casemiro, whose goals have masked his relative ineffectiveness in a defensive capacity.
Caoimhin Kelleher parried a Harry Maguire header away from a corner and Maguire met another dead-ball kick to assist Casemiro, ghosting in at the far post.
Casemiro’s ninth goal take him above playmakers Fernandes and Matheus Cunha in United’s scoring charts.
United fans gullibly sang “One more year, Casemiro” again as he kissed the badge.
That sparked one-way traffic – from Brentford.
United all but stopped playing after Casemiro milked the adoration and the Brentford analysts in the press box were at a loss that their side had not scored.
Thiago failed to anticipate Luke Shaw’s airshot at the far post and Lammens spread himself to block the unmarked Michael Kayode from close range.
Thiago passed on shooting when played in, spooked by Diogo Dalot.
He breached United again only to be thwarted by Lammens.
The haphazard Ayden Heaven almost guided the ball into his own net with his arm.
That drew the most eye-catching stop from Lammens.
United had fired a shot across Brentford’s bows on the breakaway when Amad converted but was so far offside he was in a different timezone.
They timed their next counter perfectly, with Fernandes maximising the three-on-two to charge into the Brentford area and slip the ball to Sesko, who waited for the retreating Nathan Collins to commit before lashing in.
Lammens charged out of his goal to celebrate with team-mates.
He merited the congratulations as much as Sesko, having kept United’s sheet clean in a misleading half.
Sesko opted for his new trademark ‘jump’ celebration, a homage to Michael Jordan.
The Slovenian is now United’s outright top scorer with 11 goals.
It was the first time Amad had ever started on the left wing and the experiment lasted a half.
Carrick was so dissatisfied he replaced him with full back Noussair Mazraoui and United switched to a back three, the first time they had shifted to that system since Ruben Amorim’s contract was shredded in January.
United kept Brentford at bay until Dango Ouattara flicked the ball against the crossbar from a corner and threatened to acrobatically decapitate Harry Maguire on the rebound.
Mathias Jensen eventually broke the stoic United rear-guard with a thunderous strike from range, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
SOURCE: THESUN