After the Manchester derby, Erik ten Hag steadied Manchester United’s ship again and the team is currently on a six-game unbeaten run.
In a crucial week, the team showed courage, determination and skill in abundance as they overcame a challenge from Tottenham Hotspur and drew against Chelsea.
The last-gasp draw against Chelsea came at a cost, as Raphael Varane was forced to retire injured and will miss all six games leading up to the World Cup.
required rotation
His next challenge is in the Europa League with Sheriff Tiraspol set to visit Old Trafford. The Red Devils have West Ham United next in the league on Sunday.
Ten Hag is likely to rotate for this game to give his core players a bit of a break. And training footage that emerged Tuesday hinted at quite a few players who could possibly make the team.
After being banished from the first team squad for the Chelsea game and spending a few days with the Under-21s, Cristiano Ronaldo returns to training.
???? @HarryMaguire93 ???? @AWBissaka???? @Donny_Beek6
Three reds returned to full training today, after their respective injuries ????#MUFC || #UEL pic.twitter.com/CV8qUhGtWa
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 25, 2022
And to cope with Varane’s absence, club captain Harry Maguire has also returned to training after sustaining an injury during the latest international break.
Lisandro Martinez has been playing non-stop and needs a bit of a break and this could be the perfect game to give him some much-needed time off. Maguire also needs games to convince England boss Gareth Southgate of his fitness.
Donny van de Beek was also seen in the footage. The Dutchman has been out injured for some time and persistent rumors continue to link him with a January transfer.
Despite his former Ajax manager taking over the reins of the club, the Dutch midfielder’s prospects have not improved much and he was not included in the Netherlands’ preliminary squad for the World Cup.
Maguire, Donny, AWB return
Another forgotten man seen in training was Aaron Wan-Bissaka. He has only made one cameo appearance so far this season and details of his injury have remained vague.
With Diogo Dalot starting every game so far, the former Crystal Palace defender could finally get some much-needed minutes.
Also waiting patiently backstage are academy stars Alejandro Garnacho, Zidane Iqbal and Facundo Pellistri. They might finally see some action on Thursday.
Ten Hag will be wary of making too many changes after suffering a loss in the opening Europa League match against Real Sociedad.
United need only one point to secure advancement to the next round, but will be seeking top spot to go straight to the round of 16 rather than face a difficult two-leg tie.
A win will be essential to keep the pressure on Sociedad, which they will face in the final group match. That could be the decisive draw of the group.
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