Manchester United team news vs Nottingham Forest with injury return and suspension

Manchester United shall be travelling to The City Ground to face Nottingham Forest in their final game of 2023.

Erik ten Hag has had to deal with a somewhat unprecedented injury crisis this season, with almost 20 Manchester United players having been out with injuries at various points of the season so far.

It has caused a significant drop off in results, with constant changes to the back line creating instability in defence, with no sign of returns until at least January for some players.

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Llisandro Martínez continues to be unavailable for the next few weeks after he recovers from a second operation on his foot, while Victor Lindelöf is in the same boat. Harry Maguire has not featured since United’s 1-0 loss against Bayern Munich, with Erik ten Hag expected to give an update on his fitness on Friday afternoon.

United have seen Mason Mount return to training on grass since Wednesday, although there is no clear timeline for his return to the field, with the club explaining that he is not expected back until after the new year.

Raphaël Varane and Cristian Eriksen are back in the side after they both missed previous games due to either illness or injury.

Varane missed the West Ham tie last weekend due to illness, while Eriksen started his first game in over a month as United defeated Aston Villa 3-2 at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.

Luke Shaw and Sofyan Amrabat were absent that evening, with Ten Hag explaining that they were both unavailable due to “minor knocks”, joining Anthony Martial on the sidelines, who has missed the last four games due to illness.

“It will be a similar squad as we had against Villa,” Ten Hag told reporters on Friday afternoon ahead of the game against Forest, hinting that Amrabat and Shaw may not be back in time to face the Tricky Trees.

“Mid-January, we expect many players back. Mason [Mount], Casemiro, Martínez, Malacia, so we expect Harry Maguire, of course. We expect many players to return in January.”

Tyrell Malacia and Casemiro continue to be absent, while Amad Diallo is training with the squad once again.

For Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo will lead his side at the City Ground without Ibrahim Sangare, who is suspended after picking up five yellow cards so far in the campaign.

Taiwo Awoniyi, Serge Aurier, and Felipe also remain out of action and are not expected back until after the new year. Willy Boly is available for selection again after serving a one-match ban.