Højlund, Mount, Shaw updates – early Man United injury news vs Brentford with two worries

Manchester United have a few injury concerns as Erik ten Hag prepares his side to face Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester United will be returning to domestic action following the international break as Erik ten Hag assesses his squad ahead of a Premier League tie against Brentford.

The opening two months of the 2024/25 season has United wallowing across multiple competitions, sitting 14th in the Premier League table and having drawn their opening two Europa League fixtures.

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This poor form has increased Ten Hag’s scrutiny, and many fans were expecting the club to release a statement last week confirming that the Dutchman had been removed from his post.

However, a draw against Aston Villa seemingly helped curb opinions on Ten Hag within United’s leadership team. He will assess his squad over the next four days before selecting his XI to face Brentford.

Latest injury news

In the last two weeks, United have had multiple injury concerns hit the squad. After starting against Aston Villa, both Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui had to be substituted at half time, and were replaced by Victor Lindelöf and Matthijs de Ligt.

Subsequently, it was confirmed that Maguire had suffered an injury in his leg that shall keep him out for a few weeks, while Mazraoui had to undergo minor corrective surgery on his heart. The latter is not expected back until next month.

Further, there has been a worry surrounding Rasmus Højlund. After returning from a six-week hamstring problem and starting the club’s last two games, he played just 12 minutes as a substitute for Denmark against Spain in midweek, and reports confirmed that he missed training on Sunday.

Denmark play Switzerland on Tuesday evening, which should reveal the latest about the 21-year-old, who recently admitted that he does not yet feel fit enough to play 90 minutes.

Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia, and Luke Shaw are not in contention to play, although Shaw is expected to be back in training over the next week or so.

Two returns

In more positive news, Mason Mount is expected to rejoin training this week after he missed the club’s last two fixtures due to a head injury sustained against Tottenham. Mount did not travel to face Porto or Villa, but explained on social media that there is not significant problem.

At the same time, Villa represented a return to action for Lindelöf, who has not played since a pre-season tie against Liverpool at the beginning of August. Lindelöf also told the international press that he is entirely fit to play if needed.

With Diogo Dalot the only senior fit full-back at the club, Lindelöf is one of three options who may have to fill in at left-back.

Lisandro Martínez is another option, having played the position during the early years of his career. Reports have suggested that Ten Hag is also reportedly considering using 36-year-old Jonny Evans in the position.

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