Ahead of a deciding game this weekend against Arsenal, Manchester United have been dealt a mixed bag in terms of fitness updates.
After being thrashed 4-0 by Crystal Palace on Monday, Manchester United desperately needed some injured players back to take on Arsenal.
A makeshift backline and an overplayed and exhausted attack and midfield meant that the Eagles had their way with Erik ten Hag‘s sorry Red Devils.
Next up for United is a return to Old Trafford with current league leaders Arsenal visiting as they look to inch closer to lifting the title.
It’ll be a tough game for United, but for Ten Hag there looks to be some good news with two players set to return.
Manchester United welcome back Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford
On Thursday, there was finally some positive news for Ten Hag, with two key names returning to first-team training at Carrington according to club media.
Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford are the two who’ve made their returns, although, with only three days to the game against Arsenal, there’s no guarantee either make the cut.
For United, the return of both would be pivotal ahead of what promises to be a difficult game.
Martinez’s involvement would be massive considering the shambolic display that the defence put in on Monday.
Meanwhile, Rashford has a chance to come back in and show he’s still got it against a side he’s historically been good against.
That being said, after lengthy lay-offs and also the fact the league campaign is over, there’s no point rushing players back at this stage when the FA Cup final is much more important in only a couple of weeks.
Bruno Fernandes remains out injured
While there were two returns, one notable exclusion was Bruno Fernandes who missed the first game of his career due to injury this past Monday.
Given he still isn’t back training, it’s safe to assume he’s yet to recover from this injury and a return against Arsenal does look unlikely despite his usual reliability.
Without Bruno, we saw the struggles on Monday and it’s likely to be even worse here against Arsenal.
But like with Martinez and Rashford, it seems a little silly to rush anyone back for games which have little meaning, as the cup final is far more impressive.
However Ten Hag lines up, it’ll be once more, far from his strongest team which doesn’t bode well against arguably the league’s best team.
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