Two Manchester United stars face suspension risk vs Rangers (Europa League)

Two Manchester United players are at risk of a suspension as Manchester United prepare to face Rangers in the seventh Europa League game of the campaign.

Manchester United are preparing to host Rangers at Old Trafford on Thursday evening as they return to Europa League action.

The start of 2025 has seen United deliver a mixed bag of performances. A hard-fought draw with Liverpool and a commanding victory over Arsenal offered signs of progress, but a lacklustre win against Southampton – despite Amad’s superb hat-trick – left fans unconvinced.

Matters worsened with a 3-1 defeat to Brighton, souring the mood ahead of this key European fixture.

Thursday’s clash gives Rúben Amorim and his squad a valuable opportunity to regain momentum and reconnect with the Old Trafford faithful. United head into the game as favourites to secure a result.

Currently sitting seventh in the Europa League standings – inside the automatic qualification spots for the knockout stages – a win would not only solidify their place in the top eight but also serve as a crucial confidence boost.

Two United players at risk of suspension

Manchester United have so far played six Europa League fixtures this season, which used to be the normal number of European games to play during the competition’s group stage.

However, UEFA’s new format means that the first full stage is now a league table, with the club now playing a further two fixtures before reaching the knockout phase of the competition.

New competition rules also state that players will face a one-match ban if they receive three yellow cards in separate fixtures, and for every two further yellow cards after this.

United have two players who currently sit on two yellow cards in Casemiro and Marcus Rashford. Should either player receive a yellow card against Rangers, they would be suspended for the team’s final league fixture against FCSB in Romania.

Yellow card counts are not wiped until after the quarter-finals of the competition, meaning they are only not carried over if a team makes it to the semi-finals.

Rashford in contension to return vs Rangers

Rashford has not played a single minute of any of United’s last nine fixtures, having last appeared for the club in mid-December, playing 56 minutes in the team’s last Europa League fixture against Viktoria Plzen.

Read More: Manchester United injury news vs Rangers as Luke Shaw to return ‘this week’ for Rúben Amorim

Of the last nine fixtures, Rashford has only been involved in the matchday squad once, where he was an unused substitute as Newcastle United ran riot at Old Trafford in a 3-0 Premier League win.

However, according to BBC Sport, Rashford has not given up playing for United once again and would be willing to return to the matchday squad against Rangers and thereafter.

He is said to have no genuine issue with Amorim and would be happy to continue playing under him, although other reports have stated he has agreed on personal terms for a loan move to Barcelona this month.

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