It is Brentford next, and Ruben Amorim ought to be aware that there is a punishment for Manchester United managers who lose to Brentford. Or there was for Erik ten Hag, anyway. The Dutchman’s second game was a 4-0 reverse at the Gtech Stadium, where the nasty numbers extended beyond the scoreline. Brentford ran 13.8km further than United. So the next day, and in a summer heatwave, Ten Hag made each of his players run 13.8km to compensate. And he, already in his fifties, did likewise.
Which, when United only lost four of their next 40 games, seemed a transformative display of toughness. But, while Ten Hag’s last win as United manager came against Brentford, it was more telling that he was sacked after defeat to West Ham. He visited the London Stadium on three occasions and lost on all three. One of the factors in his ultimate failure as United manager was a malaise against the mid-table clubs.
