How Manchester United should line up with three-star players dropped due to poor form.

Erik ten Hag might need to make some ruthless decisions with his Man Utd line-up this weekend, and it could be bad news for some star players.

Erik ten Hag has some big decisions to make as he looks to end Manchester United's rotten run and get their season back on track with a victory over Brentford this weekend.

United supporters will have looked at the latest block of fixtures as very winnable matches ahead of tougher tests on the horizon, but it has been far from easy, with four defeats from their last six outings.

It is clear something will need to change if they are to experience an improvement in form, and it could well be that they must shake up their starting line-up with some ruthless decisions.

Ten Hag has put a great emphasis on the high standards he holds, and now he must back them up by dropping any underperforming player who is not meeting those expectations on the pitch.

The United manager has already indicated he will keep his faith in Andre Onana in goal, but there is a growing case for him to be dropped in favour of fellow summer signing Altay Bayindir.

Onana hasn't been the sole reason for United's slump, but his performances have been below the standards expected of him, and it might be for the benefit of all parties if he is taken out of the firing line.

Ten Hag's hands are tied as to what he can do in defence and when Sergio Reguilon is deemed fit enough to start again, the back four will pretty much pick itself.

Diogo Dalot is currently the only option on the right, while Victor Lindelof was much improved in midweek. Jonny Evans is arguably ahead of Harry Maguire in the pecking order, but neither of them should be starting.

The next big call comes in midfield, where Casemiro simply hasn't been up to his usual high standards this season. Again, he has not been the sole reason for United's recent poor form, but his low level of performance has certainly been a contributing factor.

United have been overly reliant on him since he signed for the club, and now there is finally a viable alternative in summer loan signing Sofyan Amrabat. The Moroccan has had a mixed start to life at Old Trafford, but this is mitigated by the fact that all of his appearances have been as a makeshift left-back.

Once they have another full-back fit, it would be interesting to see what Amrabat can do in his preferred position, and it might well be instead of Casemiro, rather than alongside him.

If the selection is entirely off form, then there is also an argument to suggest both Alejandro Garnacho and Hannibal Mejbri should be included in it as well.

Garnacho has been much more threatening on the left than Marcus Rashford this season, though he has performed best when being introduced from the bench rather than starting matches.

United's midfield hasn't really played well at all this season, but Hannibal shone away at Burnley and was lively again in midweek. He still might not have done enough for some to start, though it is certainly a fair debate to be had right now.

Antony is the only real option on the right wing if United want to bring balance to their attack, and Rasmus Hojlund is the one crumb of comfort for supporters at this moment in time.

Given how much experience they would lose from the start, it would still be a major shock to see this hypothetical XI at the weekend, but given their current run of form, there would also be few complaints if it happened.

Dropping players could raise the standards.