Manchester United will return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest next week after the international break finishes.
Some would say that the international break came at the wrong time for Ruben Amorim and Manchester United.
The Reds were beginning to pick up some form and the United boss will hope that the two-week break doesn’t impact that form heading into a difficult stretch of games.
On the other hand, this two-week period has given several Reds the opportunity to get closer in their return from injuries.
Ayden Heaven, Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro are expected to be available shortly after the team is back in action at the beginning of April.
United’s next test comes against high-flying Nottingham Forest, who are currently third in the Premier League table.
United receive boost after Forest injury
Forest have been excellent this season under Nuno Espírito Santo but may have a setback heading into their clash against United.
Chris Wood has been in excellent form this season and currently has 18 goals in the league. But the star striker looks to have suffered an injury during the international break.
New Zealand won their 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against New Caledonia on Monday but Wood was forced to come off in the second half of the game.
The 33-year-old suffered a hip injury, as per ManUtdNews, and could be out of action for several weeks, which would rule him out of the game against Amorim’s side.
This will be a boost for United, who are already underdogs heading into this clash, but will now at least be up against a weakened Forest side.
United will have strange Premier League feeling
United will return to Premier League action with a strange feeling. They have now moved away from any of the relegation talk that occurred a couple of months back.
Yet, with nine games remaining, it also seems extremely unrealistic that Amorim’s side claw 10 points on the teams above them to sneak into any European competition.
That brings something that isn’t often the case for United before the season ends – nothing to play for in the league. All of the focus should be on the Europa League, where United can qualify for the Champions League by winning.
For Amorim, the main priority will be to try and instil confidence into a team that has lacked it for much of the season. Whether that will be easier or harder with nothing to play for in the league remains to be seen.
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