Rúben Amorim has already confirmed that one of his stars will not play as Manchester United line up to face Athletic Club in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United are returning to finish the job against Athletic Club as they line up for the return leg of their Europa League semi-final clash at Old Trafford.
The first leg saw Rúben Amorim’s men take a commanding 3-0 lead, with an opening goal from Casemiro complemented by two further strikes from Bruno Fernandes as United took a firm step towards securing their place in the final.
In the other semi-final, Tottenham Hotspur currently lead Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt 3-1 on aggregate but must head to the Arctic Circle to finish the job and book their place for the final in Bilbao.
The Europa League has become crucial for both sides. With United and Spurs sitting 15th and 16th respectively in the Premier League table, it is their only route back into the Champions League for next season.
Amorim rules De Ligt out of semi-final tie
On Sunday afternoon, United suffered a 4-3 defeat against Brentford away from home, with goals from Mason Mount, Alejandro Garnacho, and Amad not being enough to secure at least a point on the road.
However, the most concerning part of the result was that centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, who only just returned from injury and was making his first start in over a month, was forced off through an ankle problem after just over 30 minutes.
Speaking after the result, Amorim confirmed that he was not worrying about the Netherlands international’s availability for the Athletic Club tie as he was not going to play, but is more worried about whether De Ligt could be ruled out long-term.
“I don’t know, so I’m really concerned – not about Thursday,” Amorim told Sky Sports. Amorim further stated that it’s likely Shaw will start in his place, as the English defender was taken off at half-time.
“We took off Luke Shaw at half-time to protect and have players for Thursday, but I’m more concerned whether it is a small or big injury and thinking about next season.”
United’s latest injury news
Aside from the worry surrounding De Ligt, United are expected to welcome Noussair Mazraoui back to the matchday squad after he was afforded a weekend’s rest following his fantastic performance in the first leg.
Read More: Manchester United ‘make offer’ to sign highly rated Leicester City star Ruud Van Nistelrooy loves
Meanwhile, Amad scored his first goal for the club since his return from injury, which was a major boost, while there appear to be no other significant injuries to report following the Brentford result.
Joshua Zirkzee and Lisandro Martínez remain injured and will not play again this campaign, which is a big disappointment considering how good the pair have played under Amorim.
Toby Collyer was undergoing individual training last week, while Diogo Dalot will remain assessed week by week to see if he can return before the end of the campaign.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.