Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Samuel Luckhurst

Five Manchester United players missing for Middlesbrough FA Cup tie

Paul Pogba could make his first start for Manchester United in over three months against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fourth round.

Pogba resumed full training last month after recovering from a thigh injury and had been pencilled in for a return against the Championship side at Old Trafford.

The Frenchman could replace Fred in the starting XI as the Brazilian international only returned to training on Thursday after international duty.

Luke Shaw will start at left-back at the expense of Alex Telles, who played 90 minutes in Brazil's 4-0 thrashing of Paraguay on Tuesday night. Edinson Cavani has requested additional time in his home country of Uruguay, where he played and scored in their midweek win over Venezuela.

Eric Bailly has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with an ankle injury and Victor Lindelof is also unavailable as he has been unwell all week. Jesse Lingard has requested time off to 'clear his head' after a deadline day transfer did not materialise and Dean Henderson could start in goal.

"Yes, Paul will be part of the group he might even be in the starting XI," United interim manager Ralf Rangnick said. there are still a couple of players missing out. Edi Cavani will only return at the weekend, he contacted me a week ago and asked if he could have two more days at home. I allowed him because I knew he couldn't be in starting XI anyway with jet lag and only coming back today or last night, so he won't be part of the group.

"Victor Lindelof has been ill the whole week and not training, so he will miss out on tomorrow's game. The same is true with Jesse, he asked me and the club if we could give him a couple of days off just to clear up his mind. He will be back in the group next Monday, back for training and then be part of the regular squad again.

"Eric Bailly came back yesterday, he has some problems, a swollen ankle, and will not be part of the squad tomorrow. All of the other players will be available."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.