West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has revealed that some players will be missing for their clash against Manchester United in a cryptic interview.
Manchester United go into their away clash against West Ham in fine form, with Michael Carrick looking to win five games in a row for the first time since December 2022.
After Rúben Amorim‘s tenure came to an explosive end in early January, Carrick’s men have been in fine form, securing wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham, and Tottenham, firmly establishing themselves as a side capable of securing a Champions League spot.
While Carrick has stolen the headlines, Nuno Espirito Santo has also enjoyed an upturn in form, winning three out of his last four league games, and despite boasting a good home record against Manchester United, the away side will still be firm favourites going into the game on Tuesday.
Nuno Espirito Santo gives injury update
West Ham’s recent turnaround in form has certainly been helped by the fact that they have had no key players sidelined due to injury.
In their most recent victory, they claimed a crucial three points against fellow relegation strugglers Burnley, and now find themselves just three points off Nottingham Forest in 17th.
While there were no signs of any injuries in their recent victory, the West Ham manager revealed that some players will be missing, but didn’t indicate who would miss the game against Manchester United.
As reported by Hammers News, he said, “Unfortunately, we’re going to have some players out. It is what it is, but I’m not going to say who it is.”
Michael Carrick could face new test as Man Utd manager
Having been eliminated from all cup competitions and having no European football to contend with, Manchester United have had full weeks between games.
This has given Carrick time to identify his strongest starting squad, and as a result, he has named the same starting lineup for every game he has managed, except for Matheus Cunha replacing Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu after picking up an injury against Arsenal.
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Carrick now travels to East London to face West Ham just three days removed from their 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, and after Bryan Mbeumo was spotted limping out of the stadium after the victory against Spurs, Carrick now faces a fresh challenge when it comes to his rotation.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was known for stubbornly sticking to his first-choice starting squad, failing to rotate and keep the players on the fringe of the squad happy. This will be the only game of the season with such a quick turnaround between fixtures, so Carrick must get it right against West Ham, as he continues to strengthen his bid for being Manchester United’s head coach past the summer, as United continue to search for the right man to lead the squad into next season.
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