At least 11 Premier League stars could miss Manchester United’s Old Trafford clash against Tottenham Hotspur as the match referee is confirmed.
Michael Carrick will be determined to extend Manchester United’s excellent form as Tottenham Hotspur head to Old Trafford on Saturday.
Since stepping into the role, the former midfielder has guided United to standout wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, and Fulham, with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Bruno Fernandes all back performing at their peak.
United are firmly in the race for Champions League qualification and currently hold fourth place, making Spurs’ visit another big chance to add three more points and maintain their attacking rhythm.
Tottenham’s outlook is far less positive. A 2-2 draw with City last weekend wasn’t enough to lift them from 14th in the Premier League. In the earlier meeting between the sides in North London, Matthijs de Ligt struck late to secure a 2-2 draw for United.
Premier League confirm United vs Spurs referee
Michael Oliver (pictured above) will be the referee on Saturday afternoon in Manchester. Oliver has officiated 19 Premier League fixtures this season, as well as eight in the Champions League.
Oliver has officiated United twice this campaign, with both scorelines ending in 2-1. The first was a brilliant win over Liverpool at Anfield, while the other was a disappointing 2-1 loss against Aston Villa, again away from home.
This season, Oliver has issued 52 yellow cards in the Premier League and 88 across all competitions. He has issued one red card this season, coming via two yellow cards, and awarded just one penalty, coming in the Premier League.
During the game, Stuart Burt and Nick Greenhalgh will serve as Oliver’s assistant referees. Sam Allison will be the fourth official on Sunday afternoon, separating Carrick and Silva.
Paul Tierney has been appointed as the Video Assistant Referee. Marc Perry will act as assistant VAR.
11 players could miss Old Trafford clash
United and Tottenham are on very opposite ends of the injury spectrum. Only two United players were unavailable for the win over Fulham, with De Ligt and Mason Mount omitted from the squad. Neither was spotted during official club training footage on Wednesday morning.
Tottenham, however, will have at least nine players who will not be able to make the tie. Midfielders James Maddison (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), and defender Ben Davies (ankle) are out for a long period.
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At the same time, midfielders Lucas Bergvall (ankle), Rodrigo Bentancur (hamstring), and Mohammed Kudus (thigh) are not likely to be back until April.
Striker Richarlison (hamstring) and defender Pedro Porro (fitness) are not expected to return until later in February. Kevin Danso (toe) also has an unknown return date.
However, the one boost for Thomas Frank is that, despite concerns, Dominic Solanke, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Djed Spence are all likely to be available to travel for the match against United.
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