Update: Ruben Amorim could soon add five players to his strongest Manchester United matchday squad News

The latest Manchester United news after Ruben Amorim provided a positive injury update about several players who are due to return before the end of this season

As many as five Manchester United players are due to return from injury before the end of this season amid the news that Joshua Zirkzee will not be back before the campaign concludes.

Ruben Amorim provided an update on Zirkzee during his press conference on Wednesday afternoon. “Joshua is out for the season,” the United head coach said. “So he’s not going to play any more this season; let’s prepare him for the next one.

“It’s tough, especially in this moment; he’s improving in all aspects of the game, so it’s hard for any player to stop, but it is football, and he has to be ready now to recover.”

Ayden Heaven is another player in the matchday squad on Sunday that will not play against Lyon. Amorim confirmed he is “out for this game”, clarifying: “He had a small issue in the same spot during training [after] contact with a teammate.”

The United boss did, though, provide a positive update on multiple other players. Asked about Matthijs de Ligt, the coach confirmed his defender “is going to return this season”. Amorim later explained: “He has some pain.

“He finished the game when he [got injured] against Nottingham [Forest], so sometimes it’s something that we need to be sure that he’s in the right moment to return to competition. He’s working really hard and he’s a tough guy, so we expect to have Matta in the next weeks.”

Amorim also acknowledged the return of Jonny Evans to training, but conceded the defender is not ready for Thursday night. Amad is also working individually during training, with the player sharing an exciting update on his recovery on social media earlier this week.

His coach confirmed on Wednesday he is “not ready for this month, but we hope to have Amad still this season.” Toby Collyer, however, is due to be back this month. Amorim said last week that he has “a small issue in his leg, so we hope to have him in a few weeks”.

Amad, Collyer, De Ligt, Evans and Heaven returning would significantly strengthen the squad, particularly defensively.

Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.

And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.