All the very latest on the Man United injury front ahead of Thursday night’s crunch Europa League tie with Real Sociedad at Old Trafford.
Manchester United will be looking to keep their hopes of winning the Europa League alive when they face Real Sociedad in the second leg of their last-16 tie tonight.
United will welcome the Spanish outfit to Old Trafford with the tie finely poised at 1-1 following last week’s first leg. The Reds went ahead at the Reale Arena via Joshua Zirkzee but were later pegged back when Mikel Oyarzabal dispatched a penalty.
With their Premier League campaign as good as over and their participation in both domestic cup competitions curtailed, any hopes United have of salvaging something from this campaign rests on them winning the Europa League.
Ahead of the game, head coach Ruben Amorim confirmed Leny Yoro will miss out after being forced off against Arsenal, but Manuel Ugarte is in contention to be involved. With that said, here is all the very latest on the injury front…
Altay Bayindir
Injury: unknown
Bayindir has missed each of United’s last seven matches with an unspecified injury he sustained ahead of their FA Cup fourth round win over Leicester City last month. He was last named in the matchday squad on February 2
Ahead of the draw with Everton almost three weeks ago, Amorim said the former Fenerbahce goalkeeper was “making a recovery”, but he stopped short of offering a specific date on when he could return. He has not issued an update on him since and he has not been spotted in training.
Possible return date: unknown.
Tom Heaton
Injury: unknown
Fellow shot-stopper Heaton has also been absent recently, meaning he has been unable to take Bayindir’s place in the pecking order and become Andre Onana’s temporary deputy.
Speaking last month, Amorim said: “Tom is making a recovery. Again, I don’t have a day, but they [Heaton and Bayindir] are recovering.”
Possible return date: unknown.
Harry Maguire
Injury: unknown
Maguire was taken off ahead of extra-time in the FA Cup clash with Fulham on March 2 and has missed each of the last two games. He will be unavailable once again against Sociedad but Amorim is hopeful he might be available for Sunday’s trip to Leicester.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday lunchtime, Amorim said: “Harry Maguire cannot play this one. I hope to have him for Sunday.”
Possible return date: March 16 (Leicester A).
Leny Yoro
Injury: unknown
Yoro was forced off at half-time against Arsenal at the weekend after requiring treatment during the first half. He was replaced by youngster Ayden Heaven at the break.
He was absent from the open training session United hosted on Wednesday morning and Amorim later confirmed he will miss the next two games, despite not going into detail on the specifics of his injury.
“No, no [Yoro’s absence] is not long-term,” Amorim said. “Leny cannot play this game and the other game [vs Leicester].”
Possible return date: April 1 (Nottingham Forest A).
Lisandro Martinez
Injury: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
Fellow defender Martinez is a long-term absentee after rupturing his ACL in United’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on February 2. He underwent successful surgery last month and is now recovering.
United have not put a specific timeframe on how long he will be out for, but he will not play again this season. ACL injuries usually take around six months to fully recover from.
Possible return date: August.
Jonny Evans
Injury: muscle
Evans has missed United’s last 16 matches with a muscle issue he suffered back in December. He was last in the matchday squad when United lost 2-0 to Wolves on Boxing Day.
He last made an appearance when United lost 4-3 to Spurs in the Carabao Cup on December 19.
Possible return date: unknown.
Luke Shaw
Injury: muscle
Shaw has been absent since the beginning of December. His recovery from his latest muscle issue was going well until he encountered a fresh setback a few weeks ago.
He is continuing to work on an individual fitness programme but it remains to be seen when he will next be available for selection. He has not started a game for United in more than a year.
Possible return date: unknown.
Manuel Ugarte
Injury: unknown
Ugarte has missed each of United’s last two matches with an unspecified injury, meaning he last featured against Fulham earlier this month. However, he trained on Wednesday morning and is set to be included in the squad.
Amorim of the midfield enforcer: “Manu is in the squad and I think there is no one [else] returning.”
Possible return date: March 13 (Real Sociedad H).
Kobbie Mainoo
Injury: unknown
Mainoo suffered an unspecified injury ahead of United’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last month and Amorim said he expected to be without the midfielder for “weeks”.
There is confidence he will play again this season. It is possible he could return at some point next month.
Possible return date: April.
Mason Mount
Injury: leg
Mount has been absent since being forced off in the first half of United’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City in December. Amorim confirmed a few days later that Mount would be out for “several weeks”.
He made a long-awaited return to team training on Wednesday morning, offering encouragement a return to action might not be too far away. However, the visit of Sociedad will arrive “too soon” for him, according to Amorim.
Possible return date: March 16 (Leicester A).
Amad
Injury: ankle
United lost Amad to an ankle injury ahead of the defeat at Tottenham and Amorim admitted he expected to be without the Ivorian for the rest of the season.
However, speaking after last Thursday’s draw with Sociedad, Amorim shared the surprising news that he may feature again before the curtain comes down on 2024/25, saying: “Even Amad, we will see in the end of the last month. I don’t want to say anything but I have the hope to have Amad before the end of the season.”
Possible return date: May.
*Patrick Dorgu will be back available for United on Thursday night as his three-game ban only applies to domestic fixtures.
