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regular-article-logo Thursday, 25 April 2024

Ten Hag mulls rest for regulars

Good news is that Marcel Sabitzer, Anthony Martial and Victor Lindelof trained with United squad on Wednesday morning ahead of their flight to Seville

Reuters Manchester Published 16.03.23, 04:18 AM
Manchester United’s (from left) Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Anthony Elanga during a training session on Wednesday

Manchester United’s (from left) Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Anthony Elanga during a training session on Wednesday Reuters

Manchester United face Real Betis in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday. United go into the game with a three-goal advantage so Erik ten Hag may be tempted to rotate some of his players.

The good news is that Marcel Sabitzer, Anthony Martial and Victor Lindelof trained with the United squad on Wednesday morning ahead of their flight to Seville.

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However, there was some concerning news, with Antony not spotted taking part in the session.

Alejandro Garnacho was missing after sustaining an injury against Southampton on Sunday, while Casemiro is expected to start the game after picking up a four-match suspension in domestic competitions.

The Brazilian midfielder will be walking a suspension tightrope because a yellow card would see him miss the first leg of United’s quarter-final in the Europa League.

Pre-season in US

United will visit the United States this summer to play pre-season matches and prepare the squad for the next campaign, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

United did not specify when or where the exact location of each match will be held, but said that the programme will be revealed over the coming weeks.

The English club’s owners, the Glazer family, have been considering selling in what could become the biggest sports deal ever, receiving indicative offers from bidders including chemicals firm Ineos, led by long-time fan Jim Ratcliffe, and Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

Thani is emerging as the favourite to buy United ahead of Jim Ratcliffe, with each party due to hold its first face-to-face meeting with the club executive this week.

There is also a sense that the Glazers have not yet warmed to Ratcliffe, the owner of Ineos, who is due to be at United on Friday along with advisers.

Nketiah blow

Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah will be out of action for the foreseeable future due to an ankle injury and is not in the squad to face Sporting in the second leg of their tie, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.

The 23-year-old Nketiah limped off the pitch following the 4-0 win over Everton this month and has not played since.

“It’s getting better. He’s still in the boot. He’s still a few weeks away and we need to be patient. It was a nasty injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it’s not as bad as it could have been,” Arteta told reporters on Wednesday.

Nketiah had been leading Arsenal’s attack in the absence of Gabriel Jesus.

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