The international break is over and Premier League football is returning to our lives once more, although if you are of a Manchester United persuasion, that might not be a good thing right now.
United have had a difficult time of it, not just this season, but under Ruben Amorim so far, with the Portuguese about to celebrate – if you can use that word – one year in charge at Old Trafford.
Questions have been asked about Amorim’s philosophy and his stubbornness in sticking to his favoured 3-4-3 formation. Further scrutiny will be on him and his tactics as the Red Devils make the trip to face fierce rivals and reigning champions Liverpool in the big game of the weekend.
The clash is live on Sky Sports on Sunday afternoon and the pundits are sure to have their say on what they see unfold at Anfield, with Amorim under increasing pressure for his job.
Amorim actually has some good news to take into the clash, however, with his squad coming through the two-week international break relatively unscathed. Here GivemeSport takes a lok at the latest injury news at Old Trafford and the squad that Amorim could have to pick from against the champions.
Lisandro Martinez
The Argentinian has been out of action since February after picking up a cruciate ligament injury in his knee. The centre-back had been one of Amorim’s trusted defenders before that and has been a big miss in the heart of the back-line.
Speaking last month, Amorim said United “need” Martinez.
“When you have that injury, you have that time where you recover a lot of things really hard, then there is the boring part where it looks like you don’t go to the next step,” the manager said.
“We miss a lot, Licha, especially in this moment, we miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him. But he’s always there in every meeting. In training, he sometimes finishes his and stays to watch the training. We need Licha in this team.”
Martinez has been training on the grass again since last month and could return before the month is out, but is not expected to be fit for Liverpool.
Noussair Mazraoui
The full-back has missed United’s games against Brentford and Sunderland after suffering a thigh injury. He was also absent for Morocco’s international wins over Bahrain and Congo.
Amorim had previously said that Mazraoui would “not be back until the international break” suggesting he could return for the clash with Liverpool at Anfield this weekend. All eyes will be on Amorim’s press conference to see an update on the 27-year-old.
Ayden Heaven
The young defender has had perhaps more game time than he might have expected having made the move from Arsenal’s youth setup to Old Trafford.
The 19-year-old has been in every Premier League squad so far this season, although has only played in one match – three minutes at the end of the game against Fulham in August.
Heaven picked up a knock just one minute into England U20s encounter with Switzerland during the international break and looks doubtful for the trip to Anfield.
England U20s manager Ben Futcher said: “He picked something up. I don’t think it is too serious but we will have to see how it settles down.”
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