Following Tuesday night’s 7-0 win over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, attention now switches back to the bread and butter of the Premier League for Manchester United.
United travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday teatime with the ambition of recording back-to-back league wins for the first time this season. Erik ten Hag’s side defeated Southampton 3-0 at St Mary’s last weekend to put successive league defeats behind them.
Palace will likely pose a sterner test than Southampton and Barnsley, meaning Ten Hag will no doubt be warning his players to remain grounded despite two encouraging results. Not only did the win over Barnsley see United score a hatful of goals, it also gave Ten Hag the chance to get some minutes into the legs of fringe players while United also came through it without encountering any fresh injury issues. With that said, here is a round up of all the very latest on the United injury front ahead of Saturday’s trip to the capital.
Leny Yoro
Injury: Fractured metatarsal
Yoro, who joined United from Lille in the summer transfer window, fractured his metatarsal in the opening game of the club’s pre-season tour of the United States. He required surgery and it is expected he could be sidelined for up to three months. However, he is understood to be making progress with his recovery, so much so he is already walking without crutches.
Victor Lindelof
Injury: Toe
Lindelof has not featured for United in any capacity since was taken off at half-time in their final pre-season friendly against Liverpool in the United States. Speaking ahead of the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion almost a month ago, Ten Hag said he was hopeful the Swede could “return quickly”, but he is yet to have been included in a matchday squad this term.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Luke Shaw
Injury: Calf
It was announced three days before United’s Premier League opener against Fulham that Shaw would miss the start of the season with a calf issue. It was hoped he would be available after the international break but the clashes with Southampton and Barnsley arrived too soon.
Ten Hag, speaking earlier this week, said: “He’s progressing but not yet ready to be selected. He is progressing well, of course we have a plan in our head when he can be ready but you’re always dependent on how the progress will go and you can’t think, you can’t make a suggestion because there are so many factors, a plan can accelerate or slow down.”
It remains to be seen if he will be available for the trip to Selhurst Park.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Tyrell Malacia
Injury: Knee
Malacia has not featured for United since the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season because of a knee injury. He has been working hard on his rehabilitation programme and Ten Hag, at the start of August, said he could be back in contention within the next couple of months.
Ten Hag explained: “He is not that far [off], but he is now in a progress situation. At a relatively short notice, he can again return into team training and then into team performance in games. I think it would be possible [to be available again] in two months.”
Possible return date: October.
Mason Mount
Injury: Muscle
Mount, ahead of the defeat to Liverpool earlier this month, revealed he had suffered a ‘minor muscle issue’ and, as a result, would face another spell on the sidelines. He suffered the blow in the defeat at Brighton and admitted he expected to be unavailable for ‘a few games’.
After missing the clashes with Liverpool, Southampton and Barnsley, United announced he had returned to first-team training at Carrington on Wednesday, meaning he could be available for this weekend’s trip to Palace.
Possible return date: September 21 (Crystal Palace A).
Rasmus Hojlund
Injury: Hamstring
Hojlund suffered a hamstring injury in the opening game of United’s pre-season tour of the United States, being forced off just minutes after scoring in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in Los Angeles.
It was anticipated he may have been available for the trip to Southampton last weekend, but the trip to the south coast arrived too early for him to be involved, just as the cup triumph against Barnsley did.
However, like Mount, he was pictured back involved in first-team training on Wednesday, meaning the trip to Palace could mark his long-awaited return. Ten Hag, when he hosts his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, will likely issue an update on the chances of Mount and Hojlund featuring this weekend.
Possible return date: September 21 (Crystal Palace A).