The ghost of Erik ten Hag will be quickly forgotten if Ruben Amorim takes to the court in Manchester.
Excitement surrounds the arrival of the young Portuguese manager, with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim spell igniting a hot spell at Old Trafford after a Terrible start to the 2024/25 campaign under the watch of Ten Hag.
Amorim arrives with high expectations, but he will be fully aware of the scale of the job he has. Manchester United will not fix itself overnight. However, he looks set to benefit from an injury-enhanced squad as he prepares to make his Premier League directive bow Sunday.
Here’s the latest Man Utd squad news ahead of their upcoming trip to newly promoted Ipswich Town.
united have been hit by a couple of new injuries over the break. Lisandro MartÃnez returned home of international duty soon, while Victor Lindelof injured his hamstring while representing Sweden and looks set for a spell on the sidelines.
On Martinez, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said: “We saw that he had suffered a blow to his back, but apparently he had no problem, just pain. When he got here, the pain increased a little bit, they tested him and he’s not fit to be here.”
The defender will be a key figure for Amorim on the left side of defence, but his situation for Sunday’s game is currently in doubt.
Harry Maguire will miss the start of the new manager’s tenure after picking up a muscle injury during United’s stalemate with Aston Villa ahead of the October break. Little is known about the Englishman’s return, but he is unlikely to feature this weekend and may have to wait until December before being considered by Amorim.
On a brighter note, Leny Yoro prepares to make his first competitive appearance for the club since joining in the summer. A broken foot suffered in pre-season forced Yoro to miss the first three months of the season, but the highly regarded French centre-back could be included in Amorim’s starting eleven at Portman Road.
Long-term absentees Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are also on the comeback trail. Shaw was back in training before the break, while Malacia featured for United’s U21s last week and will soon push for his first senior minutes in 18 months.
The bulk of Amorim’s injuries lie in defence, with Kobbie Mainoo the only other fitness concern heading into United’s trip to Ipswich.
Like Maguire, Mainoo succumbed to injury at Villa Park in October and has been sidelined ever since. Van Nistelrooy said during his interim spell that the young midfielder was “making progress” in his recovery and Amorim has been boosted by the England international’s return to training.
Whether he is fit enough to start on Sunday is another question, but Mainoo is certainly closing in on a full return.
|
player |
injury |
status |
|---|---|---|
|
Lenny Yoro |
foot |
available |
|
Victor Lindelof |
hamstring |
Doubt |
|
Harry Maguire |
muscle |
outside |
|
Luke Shaw |
calf |
outside |
|
Tyrell Malacia |
knee |
available |
|
Kobbie Mainoo |
muscle |
Doubt |
