Manchester United are heading to Bilbao later this month to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final in what will be a crucial match for both sides.
After securing a 7-1 aggregate win over Athletic Club in the semi-finals, Manchester United are one step away from winning the Europa League.
Ruben Amorim’s side remain the only unbeaten side in the competition and will play against Tottenham Hotspur, who have had similar struggles domestically to United.
The Reds will be eager to lift their third piece of silverware in the last three years, and also secure Champions League qualification for next season.
Despite their issues this term, Amorim’s side now have the likes of Amad, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw returning to full fitness at the perfect time, with the final being played on Wednesday, 21 May at 19:00 BST.
There are several other players who are currently unavailable due to injury. Below, UtdDistrict will detail who could be set to return in time for the Europa League final.
Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt had only just returned from injury when he suffered a setback against Brentford last weekend. The Dutch defender came off in the first half with what looked to be a serious knee problem.
Despite being unavailable against Athletic Club, Amorim has confirmed that the injury is not as serious as initially anticipated and that the 25-year-old could be fit in time to be included in the squad against Spurs.
“It is not a big issue,” he told journalists this week. “That is a good thing. He cannot play tomorrow [against Athletic Club] and he’ll not play on Sunday [against West Ham] but then we’ll check day-by-day.”
Ayden Heaven
Ayden Heaven appeared to suffer a long-term injury during a match against Leicester City in March. Fortunately, the issue turned out to be less severe than first feared, and he made a return to the squad the following month. However, the 18-year-old has since sustained another minor injury.
There hadn’t been much information regarding Heaven’s recovery, though he was seen doing some individual work on the grass at Carrington earlier this week, which suggests he’s nearing a return to team training.
Like De Ligt, the teenager could be fit in time for the Europa League final, although his chances of being selected in the matchday squad will be lower than his experienced counterpart.
Lisandro Martinez
Lisandro Martinez was spotted celebrating in the crowd at Old Trafford during United’s 4-1 win over Athletic Club on Thursday night but unfortunately will not be close to returning for the team this season.
The Argentine defender is recovering from an ACL injury and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for the start of the next campaign or not.
Diogo Dalot
Diogo Dalot had not been injured for around two years when an unfortunate issue led to him suffering a calf issue against Wolves last month.
The Portuguese defender has not been ruled out for the season by Amorim, who is hoping for Dalot to have a quick recovery like Amad did.
Despite that, it will be a race against time for the 26-year-old to be fit for the final, but the United boss has said that he’s “doing everything” to recover quickly.
“Dalot is doing everything to recover,” Amorim told reporters this week. “I think they will push now to be available.”
Toby Collyer
Again, Toby Collyer has not appeared for United since mid-March and there has been minimal updates on his recovery from injury
“Toby has a small issue in his leg,” Amorim explained, speaking recently. “We hope to have him in a few weeks.”
There has been no sign of the midfielder in team trainings yet, which suggests his availability for the final will be touch-and-go, with the game in less than two weeks.
Joshua Zirkzee
Joshua Zirkzee was finding some impressive form before he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in a Premier League clash with Newcastle last month.
Some have pointed out that Amad, who has played the last three fixtures and is in line to start the final, was also set to miss the rest of the campaign with injury before a fast recovery.
However, Amorim has shown no sign of suggesting Zirkzee is that far ahead in his recovery, and the Dutchman is likely to be watching the game from the stands in Bilbao.
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