Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is facing a selection headache for the second leg of the Europa League tie against Barcelona on Thursday.
United go into the tie at Old Trafford full of confidence after drawing the first leg in Spain 2-2 last week. They continued their momentum by demolishing Leicester 3-0 in the Premier League on Sunday, but Ten Hag will be without some key players for the Barca game.
Harry Maguire, Antony and Anthony Martial could all miss the crucial match due to injury. Maguire was an unused substitute in Barcelona but missed the Leicester game with a knee injury. “Injured,” Ten Hag told MUTV before the Leicester game when asked about Maguire’s absence “I don’t think [it’s serious] but we have to wait and see how it will develop.”
The club captain has endured a difficult campaign at United, with Ten Hag preferring Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, while Luke Shaw has also been drafted in at centre-back.
Antony has missed the past four games with a muscle injury. The Brazilian’s problem was not deemed to be serious, but his absence is a frustration for Ten Hag, who needs as many players as possible during an extremely busy period which includes the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday.
Martial is out with a hip problem which has kept him sidelined since he scored in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup on February 1. The Frenchman has had a stop-start campaign which has seen him play just 749 minutes across all competitions – fewer than Wout Weghorst, who only joined the club in January.
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There is some good news for Ten Hag, with Scott McTominay returning from his injury as a second-half substitute against Leicester. The Scotland international could start against Barcelona, while Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer will be back in contention after missing the first leg against Barcelona through suspension.
Despite missing the past three Premier League games, Casemiro will start at Old Trafford, with his three-match suspension served and not applicable to the Europa League anyway. Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek are long-term absentees and won’t be involved in the game.
Jadon Sancho will be pushing for a start against Barca after coming off the bench to score against Leicester. All eyes will be on Marcus Rashford, who has 16 goals in 17 games for United since returning from the World Cup.
Rashford was instrumental in United’s draw in the first leg. After Marcos Alonso opened the scoring with a header from a corner, Rashford smashed in an equaliser at the near post and then fired in the cross which Jules Kounde put into his own net for 2-1.
Raphinha’s cross then found its way into the bottom corner to set up an intriguing second leg between the two heavyweights.
