Erik ten Hag could have a fit senior central defender available for Manchester United’s home clash against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
Lisandro MartÃnez and Raphael Varane participated in the World Cup final and that is why they have had extra time after the tournament, although in the pre-match press conference, Erik ten Hag warned that MartÃnez “has to understand that on December 27 , the Premier League is back.”
Harry Maguire was ill for Wednesday’s EFL Cup tie with Burnley and it is not known at this time if he will recover in time.
About this, Ten Hag said: “I can’t answer because Harry is sick. I don’t know how that plays out. We have to wait. Maybe in the next few hours, maybe in the next few days, and then we’ll see if he’s available for Forest.”
This could leave Victor Lindelof looking for a partner.
It could be Casemiro, who played alongside you Swede to great effect against Burnley.
However, Scott McTominay was disappointing in midfield and against Premier League opposition, Ten Hag could feel the Brazilian’s presence is necessary in midfield, in which case the roles could be reversed, with the Scotsman in midfield. the defense.
Other options are excellent academy star Rhys Bennett, who is training with the first team, the return of Axel Tuanzebe, or Luke Shaw could be used there with Tyrell Malacia holding the fort at left-back.
If he’s any other option than Casemiro, we expect him to move into midfield at McTominay’s expense.
Elsewhere, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is expected to keep his place at right-back if Diogo Dalot has not recovered from a hamstring strain suffered at the World Cup.
Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are likely to keep their places, with Antony likely replacing Alejandro Garnacho and Rashford switching to the left.
David de Gea will, of course, return to goal after Martin Dubravka’s shaky exit in midweek.
With all of that in mind, here’s our predicted lineup for the game:
