Manchester United injury news and return dates for Sheffield United
Manchester United welcome Premier League basement boys Sheffield United to Old Trafford on Wednesday after avoiding being on the wrong end of an astonishing FA Cup upset.
Erik ten Hag’s men were cruising against Coventry City at Wembley, leading 3-0 heading into the final 20 minutes, but the Championship side unbelievably forced extra time and thought they had set up a final with holders Manchester City with the last kick of the game.
The VAR came to the Red Devils’ rescue, though, and Ten Hag’s side – who sit seventh in the Premier League table – ended up prevailing on penalties to book a repeat of last year’s final, but their performance was lambasted from all corners.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up Man United’s latest injury and suspension news ahead of the visit of the Blades, who are almost consigned to the drop owing to their 4-1 loss to Burnley at the weekend.
Marcus Rashford
Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Unspecified
Possible return date: April 24 (vs. Sheffield United)
Deep into second-half injury time in the FA Cup semi-final, Marcus Rashford had to be substituted with an unspecified problem and was seen limping in the mixed zone towards the end of the game, plunging his availability for Wednesday’s game into uncertainty.
Raphael Varane
Status: Out
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date: May 12 (vs. Arsenal)
Raphael Varane was ruled out for a few weeks with the muscular injury he sustained against Chelsea earlier this month, but he is on course for a return before the campaign is over, even if he is only able to play one or two games.
Jonny Evans
Status: Out
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date: April 27 (vs. Burnley)
Jonny Evans’s own muscular problem should not render him unavailable for so long, but the Northern Irishman is not believed to be in with a chance of making his comeback against the Blades.
Victor Lindelof
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: May 6 (vs. Crystal Palace)
Victor Lindelof was a casualty from Man United’s draw with Brentford at the end of March, and the Swede is expected to miss the whole of April with that hamstring concern.
Lisandro Martinez
Status: Out
Type of injury: Calf
Possible return date: May 6 (vs. Crystal Palace)
At the same time as Lindelof’s diagnosis, the luckless Lisandro Martinez was revealed to have sustained a calf injury in training, which will also sideline him until the beginning of next month at least.
Tyrell Malacia
Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Tyrell Malacia is being put through his paces in individual training following a severe knee injury, but the chances of the left-back making an appearance this season are considered slim to none.
Anthony Martial
Status: Out
Type of injury: Groin
Possible return date: Unknown
Anthony Martial is also out on the practice pitches following a groin operation, but Ten Hag is none the wiser about the soon-to-be free agent’s chances of playing again this season.
Luke Shaw
Status: Out
Type of injury: Thigh
Possible return date: May 12 (vs. Arsenal)
In contrast, Ten Hag is confident that injury-riddled left-back Luke Shaw – currently out with thigh damage – will be able to feature in the closing stages of the campaign, but there is no chance he will be seen on the pitch on Wednesday.
Harry Maguire
Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Unspecified
Possible return date: April 24 (vs. Sheffield United)
Harry Maguire overcame a niggle to make himself available for the FA Cup semi-final, where he was the Red Devils’ only fit senior centre-back, but he appeared to be grimacing in extra time and has seemingly emerged as a question mark for the visit of the Blades too.
Scott McTominay
Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Groin
Possible return date: April 24 (vs. Sheffield United)
Scott McTominay, who opened the scoring in Sunday’s FA Cup spectacular, also shook off a knee issue in time to face Coventry, but he had to come off with a groin issue in extra time and was apparently seen limping out of the stadium, so his availablity for Wednesday is also clouded in uncertainty.
Willy Kambwala
Status: Out
Type of injury: Unspecified
Possible return date: Unknown
After reports emerged that three more players had picked up injuries prior to the trip to Wembley, Willy Kambwala was nowhere to be seen, and the teenage centre-back will presumably miss Wednesday’s match too.
Sofyan Amrabat
Status: Out
Type of injury: Unspecified
Possible return date: Unknown
Sofyan Amrabat was another man to sustain a fresh problem last week, robbing Man United of another emergency defensive option for the visit of the Blades.
Mason Mount
Status: Out
Type of injury: Unspecified
Possible return date: Unknown
Finally, Mason Mount completed Man United’s trifecta of new injury problems before the win over Coventry, so the Red Devils could potentially be missing as many as 13 players for the midweek fixture.
