Thomas Frank has explained his stance on Brentford’s controversial second goal during their 4-3 win over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United fell to yet another Premier League defeat on the weekend which leaves them 15th in the table heading into the final three games.
It is clear that the Reds are focused on the Europa League and that was evident through Ruben Amorim’s team selection and substitutes.
Bruno Fernandes was an unused substitute for a Premier League fixture for the first time in his United career, while Casemiro was also left on the bench.
However, United’s defending in the game was still majorly questionable as they conceded four goals across the 90 minutes.
One of the goals was somewhat controversial, with Brentford taking advantage of an injury to Matthijs de Ligt to score their second of the game.
Frank breaks silence on controversial Brentford goal vs United
United players made their feelings clear to the referee when Brentford decided against kicking the ball out of play for Matthijs de Ligt, who was in agony on the floor.
Instead, the hosts worked the ball wide and whipped in a cross to the exact position where the Dutchman would have been and Kevin Schade took full advantage.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank was asked about the goal in his post-match press conference and admitted that it is a “tricky situation” since the United defender was genuinely injured.
“Yeah, I definitely have sympathy about De Ligt and, you know, it’s clear that they struggle in many ways,” the 51-year-old explained.
“When you are in football, the struggles are part of football but you just know it is not nice. Of course, it’s a tricky situation but I hope De Ligt is OK.”
United cannot complain about De Ligt situation
While some were complaining about Brentford playing on in that situation, we all would have been furious if it was the other way and United kicked the ball out.
The play is only stopped for head injuries, although it is fair to mention how the game is often stopped for players faking head injuries, while De Ligt was genuinely hurt.
Perhaps the United defender should have known to pretend to hurt his head like some other players in the Premier League, but you cannot blame Brentford for taking advantage of the situation.
Instead, United should be more concerned about the severity of De Ligt’s injury, especially since he only just came back into the team.
Fortunately, there are several other defenders in form at the moment, with Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro both set to start against Athletic Club next week.
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