With a clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United on the horizon in the Europa League final still to come on Wednesday, here is an update on the fitness of the United squad ahead of the final.
Wednesday, 21 May is set to see two clubs from the bottom five of the Premier League lock horns in the final of the Europa League – Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
Given their abysmal Premier League campaigns, both sides will be desperate to get their hands on the trophy in what has otherwise been a season to forget.
Up for grabs is also a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League – a route neither side would have had if not for this cup run, making Wednesday’s showdown a must-win.
Tottenham and Manchester United injury news ahead of the Europa League final
Both clubs would want to come into this tie in the best possible condition, with their strongest starting eleven on the pitch.
Tottenham have already suffered a few setbacks on the injury front, with James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski all expected to miss the final. Pape Matar Sarr is now also a doubt, having picked up a back injury in Spurs’ Premier League clash against Aston Villa.
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As for Manchester United, they are facing their own injury crisis. In fact, in their clash against Chelsea, where Ruben Amorim went full strength, six key players were missing from his starting XI.
Of those six, five are defenders, and four are centre-backs – an area that has been heavily hit. Here is a breakdown of Manchester United’s current injuries:
Man United defensive issues could hand Spurs advantage
Although Manchester United will be without Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro and Jonny Evans for the final, there is still a possibility that Matthijs de Ligt could feature come Wednesday.
United have also received a timely boost with Luke Shaw returning to fitness a few weeks before the final. Given his versatility and experience, he is likely to be one of the players Ruben Amorim turns to in defence.
At this point, it is expected that United will line up with Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw as their centre-backs, coming up against the likes of Tottenham captain Heung-min Son, Dominic Solanke, and Brennan Johnson.