Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim faces dilemma ahead of Brentford clash

Manchester United's Diogo Dalot is set to return from injury, leaving boss Ruben Amorim with a defensive headache ahead of Saturday's lunchtime clash with Brentford.

Dalot, who was absent for United's last two matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, participated in training on Tuesday and will be part of the squad travelling to Brentford.

Like many of his teammates, Dalot has had an inconsistent start to the season but shone in the dramatic 3-2 victory over Burnley at Old Trafford before the international break.

In the triumph over the Clarets, Dalot showcased his attacking prowess in the left wing-back position, setting up Bryan Mbeumo's first Old Trafford goal. Had it not been for an injury sustained while on international duty with Portugal, Dalot would likely have started against City and Chelsea, but Noussair Mazraoui took his place in both games.

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Despite questions surrounding Dalot's defensive discipline and reliability, United boss Amorim appreciates his work rate and energy, crucial attributes for his 3-4-3 formation.

There are also concerns about Dalot's final ball when he finds himself in threatening positions in the final third, although his assist for Mbeumo – running onto a flick-on from Joshua Zirkzee and then cutting the ball back inside for the goal – served as a reminder of his attacking capabilities.

Patrick Dorgu appears to have secured his position as the left wing-back, leaving Dalot, Mazraoui and Amad to vie for the right-wing back role. Despite being the most offensive of the trio, Amad has struggled to find form and consistency this season.

In the match against Chelsea, Mazraoui and Dorgu took on the wing-back roles, while Amad was positioned as one of the two No.10s, supporting Benjamin Sesko.

Given that Dalot hasn't played a competitive game in four weeks, it's likely that Amorim will stick with the same line-up that served him well against Enzo Maresca's side for the Brentford match, despite the victory margin being narrower than necessary.

Looking ahead, it'll be interesting to see if Amorim settles on a regular defensive line-up, as he has done with midfield and attack. In midfield, his go-to pairing is Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, although Casemiro is suspended for Saturday's game following his red card against Chelsea.

His preferred attacking trio consists of summer signings Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko.

However, there's more uncertainty in defence. Amorin seemed to have settled on a central three of Luke Shaw, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro, only to drop Yoro for the Chelsea game in favour of Harry Maguire, who put in an excellent performance on Saturday and would be unfortunate not to retain his place.

Dalot, on the other hand, faces a tough battle to regain his spot in the starting line-up, a task that will become even more challenging if he's left out of Saturday's squad and United manage to clinch consecutive Premier League victories under Amorim for the first time.

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