Raphael Varane will replace the injured Jonny Evans in the Manchester United starting lineup against Luton Town on Saturday.
Manchester United will look to bounce back to winning ways when they welcome Luton Town to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. And Erik ten Hag has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Jonny Evans picked up a hamstring injury earlier this week against FC Copenhagen. An official update by Manchester United has revealed that the veteran defender will be unavailable for the next few weeks due to his issue.
Evans has joined Lisandro Martinez (foot), Luke Shaw (muscle injury), Tyrell Malacia (knee), and Casemiro (hamstring) in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho remains unavailable due to his exile after a run-in with Erik ten Hag.
Meanwhile, the Dutch tactician discussed Evans’s issue during his pre-match press conference. He said, “So we don’t have, in this moment, the full assessment and all the details but, tomorrow, he is out. I can’t say [if he can go away with Northern Ireland] as we don’t have the finished assessment.”
The Manchester United boss also discussed the increased competition in the central defensive unit during his presser. He said, “It’s tactical reasons why I choose these partnerships. I think Harry and Jonny did quite well. Last year, Harry didn’t play a lot. So, I was very happy with Rapha’s performance, and I have always been happy with his performance.”
“But, in this moment, Harry is playing very good. There is internal competition. Harry Maguire is doing very well in this moment and I’m very happy with that. As I always said with Harry Maguire, he can do the job and now he is showing he is doing the job. Rapha Varane, I always played him, all the games when he was available, I played him because he was doing that well.”
Varane should replace the injured Evans as Harry Maguire’s central defensive partner on Saturday. But there should be no other changes in the starting lineup, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot completing the backline. Andre Onana will retain his spot between the sticks.
As for the midfield unit, Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen will pair up in the double pivot, meaning Sofyan Amrabat misses out again. Bruno Fernandes will reprise his usual no. 10 role, with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho continuing on the flanks. Finally, Rasmus Hojlund will be the central striker for the home side against Luton Town.
Predicted Manchester United XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Dalot; McTominay, Eriksen; Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
