All the very latest on the Man United injury front ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal.
Manchester United will be eyeing a return to winning ways when they welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
United drew 1-1 with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at the Reale Arena on Thursday night, meaning they head into the clash with the Gunners having won just one of their last five matches. A second half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal wiped out Joshua Zirkzee’s opener.
Ahead of focusing on the second leg of their tie with Sociedad at Old Trafford on Thursday, United must switch their attention back to the Premier League and a visit of the Gunners. Ahead of the game, head coach Ruben Amorim has played down the possibility of any of the players who missed out in midweek through injury being back available.
With that said, here is all the very latest on the injury front ahead of the visit of Mikel Arteta’s side…
Altay Bayindir
Injury: unknown
Goalkeeper Bayindir has missed each of United’s last six matches with an unspecified injury he sustained ahead of their FA Cup fourth round win over Leicester City last month. He was last included in a matchday squad on February 2
Ahead of the draw with Everton last month, Amorim said the former Fenerbahce goalkeeper was “making a recovery”, but he stopped short of offering a specific date on when he could return.
Possible return date: unknown.
Tom Heaton
Injury: unknown
Fellow goalkeeper Heaton has also been absent in recent weeks. In normal circumstances, he would have stepped up in Bayindir’s absence and become Andre Onana’s 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 before extra-time against Fulham in the FA Cup last weekend and subsequently missed the draw with Sociedad. Despite it being understood that his injury is not overly serious, Amorim has been unable to offer any insight into when he may next be available.
Asked if the likes of Maguire and Manuel Ugarte, who also missed out in midweek, could return for the visit of Arsenal, Amorim said: “I don’t know. I don’t know. We need to survive Sunday. The team was so tired in the last 20 minutes.
“We have to prepare for Sunday and then think about this important game in our season on Thursday. But, in this moment, I don’t know.”
Possible return date: unknown.
Lisandro Martinez
Injury: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
Martinez is a long-term absentee after rupturing his ACL in United’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the beginning of February. He underwent successful surgery a few weeks ago and is now on the road to recovery.
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 15 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. It remains to be seen when he will next be available for selection.
Possible return date: unknown.
Luke Shaw
Injury: muscle
It has now been over a year since Shaw last started a game for United, with his latest injury setback impacting his hopes of getting back into some sort of rhythm again. He has been sidelined since early-December with a muscle issue and he was making good progress with his recovery until recently.
He is continuing to work on an individual fitness programme, but it remains to be seen when he might be available to return.
Possible return date: unknown.
Manuel Ugarte
Injury: unknown
Like Maguire, Ugarte missed the trip to Sociedad after being absent from the open training session United held at Carrington on Wednesday morning.
Amorim said on Wednesday night that playing either of them would put them at “greater risk” of making their respective injury issues worse. It remains to be seen how soon the Uruguayan could return, but his injury is considered as “small”.
Possible return date: unknown.
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 in April.
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 mid-December. Amorim confirmed a few days later that Mount would be out for “several weeks”.
He has been working hard on his recovery at Carrington in recent weeks and is understood to have made good progress. However, Amorim is yet to confirm when he could be back.
Possible return date: unknown.
Amad
Injury: ankle
United lost Amad to an ankle injury ahead of the defeat at Tottenham almost three weeks ago and Amorim admitted he expected to be without the Ivorian for the rest of the season.
However, speaking after the clash with Sociedad, Amorim shared the surprising news that the attacker 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 also be absent for the visit of Arsenal through suspension.