Manchester United continues to grapple with a significant number of injuries before this weekend’s Premier League match against West Ham.

On Saturday afternoon, Erik ten Hag’s squad travels to the London Stadium for their final pre-Christmas matchup, hoping to build on last weekend’s pointless draw at Anfield against title contenders Liverpool.

The visitors will welcome back into action Bruno Fernandes in Stratford, following his suspension for the encounter with their most formidable opponents. Fernandes received his fifth yellow card of the season during the abject 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth.

However, Diogo Dalot will miss the match against West Ham due to his contentious late dismissal on Merseyside, for which referee Michael Oliver issued him two yellow cards in a matter of seconds for dissent.

United does not anticipate the return of Amad Diallo, Harry Maguire, Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount, or Tyrell Malacia. However, Anthony Martial and Victor Lindelof may be in contention to do so.

In the interim, Jadon Sancho continues to be ineligible for selection and is anticipated to leave Old Trafford in the course of the January transfer window due to his ongoing dispute with the untenable Ten Hag.

Similarly, Aaron Wan-Bissaka should replace the suspended Dalot at right-back, while a healthy Lindelof might be preferable over Jonny Evans in the absence of Maguire, given that Raphael Varane demonstrated his prowess at Anfield.

Scott McTominay’s promotion from No. 10 to a more familiar holding midfield position should occur as a consequence of Fernandes’s return. This would force Ten Hag to choose between the promising adolescent Kobbie Mainoo and the seasoned veteran Sofyan Amrabat, who has joined the Scot.

Ten Hag faces an additional dilemma in the final third when he must decide whether to reinstate an inconsistent Marcus Rashford to the starting lineup at the expense of Alejandro Garnacho or Antony, both of whom exhibit promise but frequently fall short in execution.