In-form Premier League talisman says watching Man Utd with ‘love and affection’ made him want to be a player

Igor Thiago has reflected on his childhood watching Manchester United, which is where his love for football was first established.The Brentford talisman chatted with TNT Sports ahead of his side’s clash with league leaders Arsenal last night. After being asked whether he’d always dreamed of being a professional player, he responded: “No, I didn’t even like it that much. But my brother started talking to me and made me watch the Premier League every weekend, especially Manchester United.“And then I started paying closer attention to United. From there it grew on me with feelings of love and affection. Then, I wanted to become a player too”. “My brother made me watch the Premier League every weekend, especially Manchester United” 👀 Igor Thiago talks on how he got into football during his childhood 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/s4Pc72YaUw — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2026Why United will be intrigued by Thiago’s comments (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)While a striker addition isn’t United’s priority heading into the summer window, it’s certainly an admission that’ll have sparked the interest of INEOS chiefs.Thiago is enjoying a tremendous campaign leading the Bees’ frontline – in a season in which they were widely anticipated to struggle in the absence of Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. However, they, as much as Keith Andreews might want to play down the prospect, are well in the mix for a European finish, and Thiago has been crucial to that.The 24-year-old has netted a remarkable 17 goals in 26 matches, ranking him second-placed behind Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.He has outscored costly summer signings such as Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike, both of whom are on 10 goals each, as well as Antoine Semenyo (13 goals), who moved from Bournemouth to Manchester City last month. Player Goals scored Assists Erling Haaland 22 6 Igor Thiago 17 1 Antoine Semenyo 13 4 Thiago was at his best when facing United this season(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)In fact, United fans might recall that Thiago was on the scoresheet twice earlier this term when Brentford hosted the Reds at the Gtech Community Stadium back in September. Having been injured for his team’s visit in 2024/2025, the Brazilian will experience Old Trafford for the first time in April, when United will be looking to avenge their 3-1 defeat, this time with Michael Carrick in the dugout.