Manchester United could have a lot of important players back for their Premier League game against Tottenham on Sunday.
When Erik ten Hag talked after the FA Cup win at Wigan, he was hopeful that good health news was on the way. He took a chance on a strong lineup, which came through unhurt to move on to the next round.
And on Friday, he said that Luke Shaw, Casemiro, and Lisandro Martinez might all be back soon.
His words were like this: “This week in training, Licha Martinez is training, Casemiro is training, and Luke Shaw is training.”
“So, players are coming back, and they will be picked for Sunday.”
This weekend, Spurs play at Old Trafford in the Premier League. After that, United has two weeks off for the winter break.
According to Ten Hag, Shaw and Christian Eriksen are the most likely players to come back. Harry Maguire was called a “maybe” earlier this week.
Mason Mount “needs some days or a week more” to fully recover from a calf problem, so he might not be able to play on Sunday.
Anthony Martial has skipped the last six games with an unknown illness, which has led to rumors about his future as a trade target.
Shaw’s return would make Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka compete for the right-back spot, while Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen will figҺt to partner Kobbie Mainoo in the middle of the field.
Even though Rasmus Hojlund missed a few chances against Wigan, he is likely to keep his spot up top. Marcus Rashford did so well that he moved ahead of Antony in the wide positions.
Andre Onana will feature for the final time before a belated departure to Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations camp.
Predicted Man Utd XI: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Evans, Shaw; McTominay, Mainoo; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
Doubts: Mount, Shaw, Maguire, Martial
Injuries: Martinez, Casemiro, Lindelof, Malacia
Unavailable: Amrabat
Time and date: 4.30 pm GMT, Sunday, January 14, 2024
Venue: Old Trafford
TV channel: Sky Sports