Manchester United vs Brentford LIVE: Premier League result and final score after Ronaldo goal seals win

With his contract running out at the end of the season, Juan Mata is almost certainly making his Old Trafford farewell appearance for Manchester United tonight.

He is given his first start of the season tonight having not started a Premier League game since the final day of last season, when then manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rested his first choice XI ahead of the Europa League final.

Thomas Frank wants his players to ignore Manchester United’s big names and express themselves as Brentford look to secure a historic victory at Old Trafford.

Last season’s Sky Bet Championship play-off winners are all but certain to beat the drop and secure another season of Premier League football having reached the 40-point mark.

Brentford have enjoyed some unforgettable moments during their first top-flight campaign since 1947 and hope to enjoy another at out-of-sorts United on Monday evening.

The Bees have rarely come up against the Red Devils down the decades, making the occasion all the more exciting as they attempt to win at Old Trafford for the first time since 1938.

Ralf Rangnick makes one change to the Manchester United team that drew 1-1 with Chelsea last Thursday. Marcus Rashford is replaced with Juan Mata.

Thomas Frank makes two changes to the Brentford starting XI. Saman Ghoddos and Mathias Jensen drop out with Kristoffer Ajer and Christian Norgaard coming in.

Man Utd XI: De Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Varane, Telles, Matic, McTominay, Mata, Fernandes, Elanga, Ronaldo

Brentford XI: Raya; Roerslev, Ajer, Jansson, Sorensen, Henry; Janelt, Norgaard, Eriksen; Toney, Mbeumo

Manchester United boss, Ralf Rangnick, spoke about this evening’s opponents and how well they have performed this season. Rangnick explained how tough United found the reverse fixture and expects a similar match again tonight.

“You could even see that in their first game, I remember watching it on TV. They won 2-0 against Arsenal, they won two or three weeks ago 4-1 at Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge.” he said, “We had our problems in the first game, in the first half. We could have been 2-0 down and we could only manage to change and turn the game in the second half. This will again not be an easy game for us.”

Manchester United are hosting Brentford for the first time in any competition since a 2-1 League Cup win in September 1975, and for the first time in the league since a 4-1 victory in December 1946.

Brentford are winless in six meetings with Manchester United in all competitions - with one draw and five defeats - since beating them 2-0 in the FA Cup in February 1938.

David De Gea was doing wonders for his employers’ image again. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believed in the magic, the mystique of Manchester United. De Gea can testify to the misery of Manchester United. His former manager believed in the brand. The goalkeeper has brought a brutal realism to his media duties. “I feel embarrassed sometimes, I feel... it’s difficult to say, but I feel horrible on the pitch,” he said. Which was one way of previewing United against Chelsea, a game that was a Champions League final 14 years ago and an FA Cup final four years ago.

Perhaps his team-mates didn’t tune in to see De Gea’s latest attempt to rouse spirits. If, at the other end of the East Lancs Road, Jurgen Klopp is a master of engendering optimism, maybe De Gea’s skills lie instead in spreading pessimism. United’s first, and last, point against top-four opponents under Ralf Rangnick came courtesy of the Spaniard’s goalkeeping prowess, rather more than his skills as a motivator. It owed much to the excellence of Cristiano Ronaldo and him, two with memories of altogether happier days, in either penalty box as United rode their luck to draw.

They may be exempted from the criticism that virtually everyone else at Old Trafford merits, from their team-mates to the powerbrokers who contrived to compile the most expensive squad in football history only for signings amounting to almost half a billion pounds to be unavailable as Ralf Rangnick named a bench with four kids, two goalkeepers, two injury-hit defenders and an ageing Juan Mata. This was strength in depth, Manchester United style, but a fine goalkeeper can compensate for a multitude of other failings.

Manchester United have won just one league game in their last six - a 3-2 victory over Norwich on 16th April. Following defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal they avoided losing three consecutive fixtures when Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out Marcos Alonso’s strike against Chelsea last time out to earn them a draw at Old Trafford.

Brentford are unbeaten in four league games - a run that goes back to 20th March. In that time they have beaten Chelsea, West Ham and Watford before holding Tottenham to a goalless draw at home last time out. Thomas Franck’s men are full of confidence and a first Premier League trip to Old Trafford won’t bother them too much.

Manchester United come into the game sitting sixth in the Premier League table. They are eight points behind Arsenal (4th) and six behind Tottenham (5th) having also played one game more than both London clubs. The Red Devils can salvage their season with a spot in the Europa League but they will need to finish at least sixth and there is a real chance that West Ham (7th) could catch and overtake them if results don’t go their way.

Brentford meanwhile head into tonight’s match 14th with 40 points to their name. That should be enough to keep them in the Premier League for another season and if Thomas Franck’s men can collect another three points tonight they would jump up to 11th with an eye on a top 10 finish.

Ralf Rangnick believes Manchester United need to find and develop “future top star players” as the interim manager prepares to transition into an advisory role.

The 63-year-old is set to fail in his objective of leading the stuttering Red Devils to Champions League qualification but still hopes to leave a lasting legacy at Old Trafford.

Rangnick will switch from United’s interim boss to a consultancy role in the summer – a job that will run in tandem with his new position as manager of Austria’s national team.