Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has provided an injury update on three key players ahead of the Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Monday night. The Red Devils, who recently returned to winning ways with a 4-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, are currently sixth in the table and just one point behind the final Champions League spot.
Amorim confirmed that Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt will not be involved in the upcoming game due to injuries. Maguire suffered a hamstring injury during the 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur before the last international break. De Ligt has been nursing a back problem since their 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace and has missed two matches due to persistent pain.
Ruben Amorim, Manchester United manager, said:
“Maguire is out, De Ligt is out. Ben we have to see. We have to see if he’s available. He had some [food] poisoning, but we’ll see. Let’s wait. We have two trainings still. The other two are out, Benjamin we will assess.”
Benjamin Sesko's participation is also doubtful as he recovers from food poisoning. He had previously been sidelined with a knee injury but made a quicker recovery than expected. However, his recent bout of food poisoning has kept him out of training sessions. With two more training sessions left before Monday’s clash, there is still hope that he could make it into the squad.
Other squad updates
While it remains unclear when Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui have to report for Africa Cup of Nations matches, they are likely to feature against Bournemouth. United have had an inconsistent campaign under Amorim so far this season. They failed to capitalise on recent home games against West Ham United and Everton which resulted in only one point being gained from these matches. Had they won those games, they would have been right in contention for the league title race - just three points behind leaders Arsenal.
Monday’s game thus holds significant importance for United as another opportunity lost could further dent their title aspirations. Bournemouth, despite being in a poor run of form with just two points from their six league games under manager Andoni Iraola, have proven to be a tough opponent for United. They are unbeaten in the last four meetings against United, including two wins at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils must bring their best game to beat the South Coast outfit and keep their Champions League hopes alive. Despite key players being ruled out due to injuries and others doubtful, Manchester United will need to leverage its squad depth and capitalize on Bournemouth's poor form.
