Early Manchester United injury news as Erik ten Hag hit with blow before Crystal Palace clash

Erik ten Hag has been hit with a fresh injury blow ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League tie against Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

Manchester United are continuing to have a dire injury crisis, as has been the theme under Erik ten Hag this season, as they look to close out what has been a very poor Premier League campaign.

The Old Trafford club currently sits sixth in the league table, just one point ahead of Newcastle United in seventh. They fear they may drop further in the table, only qualifying for the Europa Conference League or missing out on European football entirely.

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A big sticking point for Ten Hag during this injury crisis is the number of defenders who are injured. Lisandro Martínez, Raphaël Varane, Victor Lindelöf, Jonny Evans, Willy Kambwala, Luke Shaw, and Tyrell Malacia are all on the sidelines.

This has left the club with Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka as the only fit defenders. This means Casemiro has had to slot into the centre of defence while Wan-Bissaka and Dalot have been sharing duties at left-back.

Although Sky Sports reported yesterday that Martínez was back in training, their video has since been deleted, casting doubt over the report’s truthfulness.

In midfield, United recently welcomed Mason Mount back into the fold after the midfielder missed United’s last few fixtures with an unspecified problem. Mount came on during extra-time against Burnley after missing United’s games against Coventry City and Sheffield United.

Scott McTominay had been getting himself back to full fitness but has since confirmed that he has sustained another injury and will not be available for a few weeks, which is a fresh blow for Ten Hag.

“I slipped and fell awkward[ly] on my knee, similar to against Chelsea,” McTominay explained on Instagram.

“Nothing serious, just hyperextension, but I was angry and upset that I thought it was worse than it was. Hoping to be back on the pitch very soon to help the team as much as I can.”

Beyond this, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Sofyan Amrabat are all fit and available to play.

In attack, the only serious concern is Marcus Rashford. The 26-year-old England international has not played United’s last two fixtures after coming off with an injury during the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry, and there has been no update since the end of the Burnley last weekend.

Erik ten Hag is expected to give an update on all his injured players on Friday afternoon.