Manchester United are sweating on the fitness of key defenders Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane ahead of their Premier League match against Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The Red Devils threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against Sevilla in the Europa League on Thursday night. A difficult night for United was compounded by injuries picked up by their first-choice centre-back partnership.
With a combination of the short turnaround for United and their injury worries, Forest will be eyeing another famous result at the City Ground on Sunday. Steve Cooper's side have beaten Liverpool and earned draws against Manchester City and Chelsea at home this season.
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And United are set to be without Varane who went off at half-time with an unspecified issue that United boss Erik ten Hag said he had “complained (about) over the last couple of weeks” before partner Martinez also pulled up holding his right ankle.
Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel, fellow winter World Cup winners, carried off the distraught defender, who eventually left on a stretcher as supportive United fans chanted ‘Argentina’.
“He will not play on Sunday,” Ten Hag said. “It looks like that, but I can’t say what is the diagnosis and I prefer to wait and then we are clear and we know exactly what it is. I have spoken with him and he is OK. He is calm."
Put to him there had been suggestions that Martinez may have hurt his Achilles, Ten Hag said: “No, it is not the area. I can’t tell of course what it is, but it was not the area of the Achilles.”
Martinez and Varane join an injury list that includes the likes of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Alejandro Garnacho.
“I have an idea what we can play on Sunday but first we have to see tomorrow and of course talk with medical,” Ten Hag added. “We need to see how we came out of the game. We have a plan and then we will bring a good team on pitch.”
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