Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has discussed his squad in advance of Sunday’s Premier League match at Aston Villa (16:30 GMT kick-off).
The boss has acknowledged that the loss of Lisandro Martinez with a knee injury is a “setback” but says he has other options for the central defensive positions.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka appears to be a real doubt and Mason Mount remains on the sidelines.
“Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial are both unavailable for selection as the Reds aim to reduce the gap on Unai Emery’s team to five points by securing a double victory over the Midlanders. Aston Villa suffered a defeat at home to Chelsea in the Emirates FA Cup on Wednesday.
“It’s undoubtedly a setback,” stated the manager regarding Martinez’s injury. “Licha was just making his return.
“You can see his impact on the team when he’s on the field, so in addition to his technical abilities, he also brings a certain mentality to the team. It’s a significant blow for Licha, and he’s understandably disappointed, but he’s a fighter, and he’ll bounce back, even stronger.
“We believe he’ll still return before the end of the season. With games still ahead of us, as a squad, we need to fill his absence. We have excellent players in that position who will step up and perform, and as a team, we’ll handle this setback together.
We have options [around] how to deal with that position. We have good centre-halves in our squad. The others are also available. Luke [Shaw] can also play there. So I am quite confident that we can keep this process going and that others can fulfil that position and contribute playing high levels. Those players are very experienced and are very good players, so it is up to them now to fulfil it.”
Wan-Bissaka had been closing on a return to the matchday squad, but that may not be the case after the training session at Carrington on Thursday.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, today, was training but then he dropped out,” explained Erik at the pre-match press conference. “So I don’t know, in this moment, where he is and what is the diagnosis.
“Hopefully, he is not too bad. And Mason and Ty are not ready to return to the squad.