Jonny Evans set to play LEFT-BACK as scale of Man Utd injury crisis becomes clear

Under-pressure Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is without five defenders for Saturday's make-or-break visit of Brentford to Old Trafford and faces some major selection calls with his back line decimated

Erik ten Hag is ready to deploy Jonny Evans as an emergency left-back as he wrestles with Manchester United's defensive injury crisis.

Ten Hag is without five defenders for Saturday's clash with Brentford, when the under-pressure United boss will be looking to avoid a third successive Premier League defeat at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag is without left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, as well as centre-backs Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro and right-back Noussair Mazraoui. Without a recognised left-back to call upon this season, Ten Hag has played Diogo Dalot there and gone with £17million summer signing Mazraoui at right-back.

But with Mazraoui now sidelined for several weeks having undergone a heart procedure after suffering from palpitations, Ten Hag has another enforced personnel headache in defence.

Ten Hag could play Evans at left-back, given the 36-year-old – man of the match in United's 0-0 draw at Aston Villa before the international break – has played there before and move Dalot back to his favoured position at right-back.

Another option available to Ten Hag, with Shaw unlikely to be fit to face Brentford in what would be his first United appearance since February, would be to move Lisandro Martinez across to left-back and play Evans and Matthijs De Ligt in central defence.

Victor Lindelof returned to the United line-up at Villa, replacing Mazraoui at right-back, and could stay there for the Brentford clash, allowing Dalot to continue at left-back and Evans to remain in central defence with De Ligt or Martinez.

A further option, one with which Ten Hag went for United's 7-0 thumping of Barnsley in the League Cup last month, would be to play 20-year-old midfielder Toby Collyer at left-back.

Ten Hag is under huge pressure after United's worst-ever start to a Premier League season, which has left them down in 14^th place in the table, with just two wins from seven games.

United have scored just five goals in the league and have a goal difference of minus three, with Ten Hag under pressure to turn the situation around immediately, with his job on the line.

As well as in defence, Ten Hag has doubts over two of his brightest young talents, midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and winger Alejandro Garnacho, both of whom pulled out of the England and Argentina squads respectively during the international break.

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Mainoo withdrew from Lee Carsley's England squad with a thigh problem, while a knee issue prevented Garnacho from joining up with the Argentina squad.

Ten Hag current injury predicament is a familiar scenario, with United suffering more than 60 separate injuries last season, as they ended the campaign eighth in table, their lowest-ever Premier League finish.

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