Manchester United return to action next week after the international break and their Europa League quarter-final clash against Lyon is just around the corner.
Ruben Amorim and his Manchester United side will be hoping to pick up from where they left off before club football was halted earlier this month.
The Reds had produced solid performances and results against Arsenal, Real Sociedad and Leicester City, which included their progression to the next round of the Europa League.
Victory against Sociedad was relatively straight forward but the upcoming test against French side Lyon will prove a much sterner test.
After Premier League outings against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, the Reds will then travel to the Groupama Stadium to face Lyon in the first-leg on Thursday, 10 April.
Paulo Fonseca’s side will then come to Old Trafford for the second-leg of the clash on Thursday, 17 April with a spot in the semi-finals of the competition up for grabs.
Lyon will be “weakened” for United clash
While United have been able to use the international break as a period to get injured players closer to fitness, Lyon have suffered a major blow in recent days.
According to Lequipe, Malick Fofana had to leave the Belgium camp early due to a sprained knee and he is expected to be out of action for around three weeks, “weakening” Lyon’s squad for the upcoming games.
It was explained that the midfielder will miss the first-leg tie against United while the French club’s staff hope that he will be available for the trip to Old Trafford the following week
This is a significant blow for Fonseca’s side. Fofana is their top goalscorer in the Europa League, with six goals and an assist in nine appearances in the competition.
Amorim expecting United injury returns for Lyon clash
On the other hand, United are getting players back and Amorim will hope to have several stars available for the games against Lyon.
Kobbie Mainoo, Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro are all set to resume training soon and should be ready in time for the Europa League clash. Harry Maguire should also be fresh after not being selected for England duty this month.
Rumours have suggested that Luke Shaw has returned to the grass at Carrington this week but the timeline of his return to the pitch is still unknown. Mason Mount is available after returning to the squad against The Foxes last time out.
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Meanwhile, despite sending a positive message about his recovery, Amad is not expected to be back until the final month of the season.
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