Luke Shaw and Mason Mount are unavailable, but Diogo Dalot will return for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Manchester United will be desperate to return to winning ways when they welcome Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. And Erik ten Hag has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Luke Shaw and Mason Mount are out for the foreseeable future after sustaining injuries in the past week. The English duo will miss the next several weeks of action, likely stretching until after the next international break.
Shaw and Mount have joined Tom Heaton (calf), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Kobbie Mainoo (ankle), and Amad Diallo (knee) on the sidelines. In addition, Rasmus Hojlund might not be fit enough to take on Nottingham Forest this weekend.
Erik ten Hag discussed Hojlund’s progress during his pre-match press conference. He said, “Today, for the first time, he came into team training. Next week we expect him to do a full week with all the team trainings. So he’s very near to making the squad.”
The Dutch tactician also responded to questions about providing more details about Shaw and Mount’s injuries. He said, “We can’t do that. For some period, they will be absent. Luke will be [out] longer than Mason. It will also take a few weeks before he will be back.”
“Definitely we have solutions in our squad to cope with that. We thought before the season about this scenario, what could happen. You hope to avoid this scenario, that’s also clear, but if it happens, you have to be ready for it. And we are ready to deal with it.”
With Malacia still unavailable, Diogo Dalot will start as the left-back for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest. The Portuguese international will join Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the defensive unit. Meanwhile, there is no looking past Andre Onana in the goal.
As for the midfield unit, Mount’s absence will provide opportunities for Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen to impress. And the latter will likely feature in the double pivot, rekindling his partnership alongside Casemiro in the middle of the park.
Bruno Fernandes will continue in the no. 10 role, with Antony retaining his spot on the right flank. But the other two positions should see a change, with Jadon Sancho starting as the “false nine”. And that will mean Marcus Rashford will return to his preferred position on the left wing. So Anthony Martial and Alejandro Garnacho will have to suffice with coming off the bench.
Predicted Manchester United XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Sancho