Man Utd sweating on three key injury doubts ahead of Barcelona second leg
Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, is facing a difficult decision in choosing his team for the second leg of their Europa League match against Barcelona on Thursday.
Despite drawing the first leg in Spain 2-2 last week and winning 3-0 against Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday, some important players including Harry Maguire, Antony, and Anthony Martial may be unavailable due to injuries.
Although Maguire did not play in the first leg against Barcelona, he missed the Leicester game due to a knee injury. Ten Hag stated in an interview with MUTV that he does not believe the injury is serious, but they will have to wait and see how it develops.
The captain of the team has had a challenging season at Manchester United as Ten Hag has opted to use Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez instead, and Luke Shaw has also been utilized as a centre-back. Antony has been absent from the last four games due to a muscle injury.
Although the injury was not considered severe, his absence is still a source of frustration for Ten Hag, who needs as many players as possible during a hectic schedule that includes the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday.
Martial will also miss the Europa League tie against Barcelona due to a hip problem, which has kept him out of the squad since he scored in the 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup semi-final on February 1.
The French striker has had an inconsistent season and has only played for a total of 749 minutes across all competitions, which is fewer than Wout Weghorst, who joined the club in January.
There is a piece of positive news for Ten Hag, as Scott McTominay has returned from his injury and came on as a second-half substitute against Leicester. The Scotland midfielder may even start against Barcelona, while Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer will also be available for selection, having missed the first leg due to suspension.
Although Casemiro missed the past three Premier League games, he will still play in the Europa League, as his three-match suspension has been served and does not apply to the competition. However, long-term absentees Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek won’t be involved in the game.
Jadon Sancho, who scored after coming off the bench against Leicester, will likely be eager to start against Barcelona. However, much of the attention will be on Marcus Rashford, who has an impressive record of 16 goals in 17 games for United since returning from the World Cup.
Rashford played a key role in United’s draw in the first leg against Barcelona, where he scored an equaliser at the near post after Marcos Alonso opened the scoring with a header from a corner.
Rashford also provided the cross which led to Jules Kounde scoring an own goal, giving United the lead at the time. Raphinha’s cross eventually resulted in a goal for Barcelona, setting up an exciting second leg between two top teams.
Man Utd sweating on three key injury doubts ahead of Barcelona second leg
