To help the squad deal with its ongoing injury crisis, five of Manchester United's most potential young players participated in first-team training on Tuesday.
After edging off Brighton in the FA Cup semifinal on Sunday, United will play another Premier League match on Thursday against struggling Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are in disarray following the 6-1 thrashing they received at the hands of Newcastle at the weekend, which led to the dismissal of interim manager Cristian Stellini earlier this week.
With a victory in North London, United can overtake Spurs in the battle for a top-four spot by nine points, but Erik ten Hag's team is still suffering from several injuries. Bruno Fernandes is the most recent question mark after twisting his ankle at Wembley and requiring crutches and a protective boot ever since.
If the Portuguese playmaker is unable to play, he will be added to the list of injured players along with Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Alejandro Garnacho, Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek, and Tom Heaton. Ten Hag called Marc Jurado, Omari Forson, Isak Hansen-Aaroen, Willy Kambwala, and Maximillian Oyedele into senior training in order to make up for the lack of players during training.
Full-back Jurado recently appeared on the bench as United was short on full-backs during their 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. Oyedele played 12 times and scored four goals while on loan at non-league club Altrincham, although he is still permitted to return to Carrington for training.
Kambwala, who was acquired from French club Sochaux in 2020 for £3.5 million, has struggled mightily with injuries this season and has only recently made a comeback. Even though they are only 18 years old, playmaker Hansen-Aaroen and lively winger Omari Forson have had a successful season with the Under-21s. Particularly impressive is Forson, who has nine goals and three assists.
Manchester United's youngster Alejandro Garnacho, is back in training as he nears his injury comeback, but he won't be able to play against Tottenham.
Since March 12's match between United and Southampton, Garnacho has been sidelined due to an injury. He appeared from the bench that day, but after appearing to be caught in Kyle Walker-Peters' legs, he received medical attention.
The winger attempted to continue and came back onto the field, but with a minute left in regulation, he was replaced. He then exited the stadium on crutches and went straight down the tunnel.
For the first time since his injury last week, Garnacho uploaded a photo of himself at Carrington sporting football boots, and Erik ten Hag confirmed the player was back to training on grass on Wednesday afternoon.
"Bruno [Fernandes], we have to wait," Ten Hag told United's in-house media when asked if Fernandes would be available against Spurs on Thursday night. "He is obviously a question mark. He had a big kick in the first half but he played the game, over 90 minutes, and even in extra-time. But then he went off. We've all seen."
"He's not excluded for tomorrow but he is a question mark. Garnacho is back on the pitch but he's not ready for the game tomorrow."
Garnacho, who is currently in the center of a club vs. country controversy after being selected for Argentina's U20 World Cup roster, is anticipated to become available before the season is over.
At a press conference earlier this month, Ten Hag said: "He will definitely be back before the end of the season. I think he will be in the final stages, but I don't want to bring so much pressure on the medical staff and Garnacho to set a date when he will be back.”
Prior to Thursday night's match against Tottenham, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag delivered an injury update on Bruno Fernandes.
In the extra period of Manchester United's FA Cup semifinal victory over Brighton, Bruno Fernandes was replaced.
After being seen with an ice pack on his ankle, his partner posted a photo of him unwinding at home this week with his foot in a boot for protection.
Although it seems like this was only a precaution, he is still listed as questionable for the Tottenham game.In his press conference, Erik ten Hag stated that Bruno Fernandes' participation in the Tottenham game is questionable.
“We have to see how Bruno Fernanndes is. We don’t know yet, he is a question mark," he said.
Ten Hag continued, saying that United was only being extra cautious by making him wear a protective boot.
“It’s more often that players [wear the boot], we protect them. Prevention. But it has to settle down so we have all seen he played the full game and it happened in the first half. But, Thursday, so tomorrow, is quick but we have to see what is possible.”
At Old Trafford earlier this season, when Manchester United defeated Tottenham 2-0, Bruno Fernandes turned in a man of the match performance.
He will undoubtedly make every effort to play, and he most likely will accompany the team to London for the match. However the best guess, Fernandes will start the match against Tottenham on the bench.
On Sunday, there is another crucial matchup at Old Trafford against a hot Aston Villa team, and Ten Hag will be making preparations for that game as well
Post a Comment