Manchester United have been dealt a major blow recently in terms of injuries with as many as three midfielders ruled out for varying lengths of time.
Scott McTominay suffered an injury and will be missing for a couple of weeks while Donny van de Beek is out for the season.
The latest injury suffered by Christian Eriksen forced the club to act swiftly and bring in Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich as back-up.
Dalot provides injury boost to ETH
However, in some good news on the injury front, Erik ten Hag‘s forces will be boosted by the fact that Diogo Dalot has returned to training after missing nine games through injury post the World Cup.
“Hopefully, Scott (McTominay) will be with us soon,” United captain Bruno Fernandes said. “We know Christian (Eriksen) will unfortunately be a bit longer but we are really happy for the team that it gets more and more players fit.
“Diogo is training also with us and will probably be fully fit really soon and that is really good because the manager has more options,” Bruno Fernandes was quoted as saying by The Manchester Evening News.
His latest knock came against Charlton Athletic in the first-half of United’s League Cup quarter-final win and it turned out to be a hamstring strain.
It was a big blow when he returned injured from the World Cup as the Portuguese had impressed the Dutch manager to such an extent in pre-season that he became the de-facto right full-back for the club.
The 23-year-old ended up playing 20 out of the first 21 games in the season with the only game he missed was due to suspension.
Dalot could be part of Palace squad
His prominent role meant previous incumbent Aaron Wan-Bissaka managed only four minutes of action prior to the Qatar showpiece and was close to being sold.
Both full-backs fighting for a starting spot will further embolden the manager who will now have two in-form players fighting for the right-back spot.
Ten Hag had earlier complained of the lack of competition in that spot and had hinted at Dalot being overburdened due top the number of games he was playing in.
The report also mentioned that Dalot was present at Old Trafford on Wednesday as United clinched a Wembley spot and could return for the Premier League visit of Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Manchester United’s strongest XI with Marcel Sabitzer
Marcel Sabitzer was a surprise and welcome transfer deadline day signing for Manchester United. The Austrian comes in to replace Christian Eriksen, who is out with injury.
It’s unclear how soon the midfielder will be available to make his debut. United won’t want to wait too long, with a Scott McTominay injury adding to the lack of options in midfield.
With Eriksen out, Sabitzer has a chance to establish himself as a first choice midfielder ahead of Fred and McTominay. There is a strong chance he does, and who wouldn’t love to play alongside Casemiro?
At the end of February, Erik ten Hag will be due to select his strongest team, when United contest the Carabao Cup final. So what will it look like?
Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty ImagesManchester United’s strongest XI
David de Gea is Manchester United’s best goalkeeper, there is little debate. There is a little more to discuss in other positions around the team.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s recent form has really shown how he is beginning to develop under Erik ten Hag. However it is hard to look past Portugal star Diogo Dalot, who is soon to return from injury and was superb in the first half of the season.
Likewise at left-back, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are fairly even. On balance of his experience, Shaw would get the nod, but it’s tight.
United are also blessed with options at centre-back. You could even make the case for Shaw at this position. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are the most reliable pairing, and most likely to start the final.
Casemiro is also a shoe-in for midfield, while Marcel Sabitzer could establish himself alongside him. The Austrian has the all-round game and goal threat to be a real asset for this team, and of course, Bruno Fernandes completes the three man midfield.
In attack, Marcus Rashford is the only nailed-down option on the left. The other two positions are open to debate. This shows how far Rashford has come from the start of the season, when there was a big question mark over him.
Centrally Anthony Martial should still get the benefit of the doubt over Wout Weghorst. United look stronger when he is in the XI, he just needs to stay fit.
On the right Antony is a regular and has shown in recent games that there is a lot more to come from him. Jadon Sancho has a chance to re-take this role. Let’s see what he can do over the next few weeks and months.
Source: thepeoplesperson.com; unitedinfocus.com
