All the very latest on the Man United injury front ahead of Thursday night’s crunch Europa League clash with Lyon at Old Trafford.
Manchester United will be determined to progress to the Europa League semi-finals when they face Lyon in the second leg of their quarter-final showdown at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
The tie is finely poised at 2-2 on aggregate following last week’s first leg at the Groupama Stadium in France, meaning everything is still to play for.
Rayan Cherki netted an injury time equaliser for Lyon after Joshua Zirkzee thought he had won the game for United when headed in a Bruno Fernandes cross with just two minutes of regulation time left on the clock.
Ahead of the second leg with the Ligue 1 outfit, here is all the very latest on the United injury front…
Matthijs de Ligt
Injury: ankle
De Ligt appeared to turn his ankle in the closing stages of the first half of United’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier this month and he has not featured since, despite playing on until the end at the City Ground.
He was absent from Wednesday morning’s open training session at Carrington, meaning he will not return against Lyon.
Issuing an update on the Dutchman on Wednesday, Amorim said: “Matta is going to return still this season.”
Possible return date: unknown.
Ayden Heaven
Injury: knock
After missing United’s first three games after the March international break, Heaven was back in the squad against Newcastle United at the weekend, being named among the substitutes, offering encouragement he had overcome the injury he sustained against Leicester City a month earlier.
However, he missed Wednesday morning’s training session as a result of suffering a “small setback”, according to club sources. It means he will also miss the clash with Lyon.
Issuing an update on the former Arsenal man, Amorim said: “Ayden is out for this game, he had a small issue in the same spot during training, a contact with a teammate.”
Possible return date: unknown.
Lisandro Martinez
Injury: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
Martinez is a long-term absentee after rupturing his ACL in United’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the start of February. He soon underwent successful surgery and is continuing with his recovery.
United have not put a specific timeframe on how long he will be out for, but he will not play again this season. ACL injuries usually take around six months to fully recover from.
Possible return date: August.
Jonny Evans
Injury: muscle
Evans was spotted in training at Carrington on Wednesday morning for the first time since suffering a muscle injury back in December. He last featured for the Reds on December 19, coming off the bench to score in their 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup.
He was last included in the matchday squad against Wolves on Boxing Day, meaning he has missed the last 22 matches. Despite returning to training, the visit of Lyon will come too soon for the Northern Irishman to be involved.
Possible return date: unknown.
Toby Collyer
Injury: leg
Collyer has missed each of United’s last three matches with a leg injury, though it is not thought to be serious.
“Toby has a small issue in his leg,” said Amorim, speaking last week. “We hope to have him in a few weeks.”
Possible return date: unknown.
Amad
Injury: ankle
United lost Amad to an ankle injury prior to February’s Premier League defeat to Tottenham and Amorim admitted he expected to be without him for the rest of the season.
However, the United boss admitted last month he may be back before the end of the season, saying: “Even Amad, we will see in the end of the last month. I don’t want to say anything but I have the hope to have Amad before the end of the season.”
The Ivorian has since posted updates on social media to share his progress. He trained alone at Carrington on Wednesday morning before Amorim reaffirmed his hope that he will return before the end of the campaign.
He said: “Amad is not ready for this month but we hope to have Amad still for this season.”
Possible return date: May.
Joshua Zirkzee
Injury: hamstring
Zirkzee was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury just ten minutes into the second half of the defeat to Newcastle. He pulled up sharply and required medical attention before leaving the pitch.
He was able to walk off the field, but he required help from two members of the United medical team. Unfortunately, he will now miss the remainder of the season.
“Joshua is out for the season, so he’s not going to play any more this season,” Amorim said on Wednesday. “Let’s prepare him for the next one.
“It’s tough, especially in this moment, he’s improving in all aspects of the game. It’s hard for a player to stop his football but now he has to be ready now to recover.”
Possible return date: pre-season.
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