Huge boost for Man United as 4 players return to training ahead of Sevilla clash

Huge boost for Man United as 4 players return to training ahead of Sevilla clash

Martin Moses
updated at April 19, 2023 at 3:57 PM
In this article:
UEFA Europa League logo
UEFA Europa League
Europe
Marcus Rashford logo
M.Rashford
Manchester United logoFEngland logo
  • Marcus Rashford was among the players who returned to Manchester United's training
  • Rashford picked up a groin injury against Everton close to two weeks ago
  • Erik ten Hag's men have a decisive second-leg Europa League tie against Sevilla

Manchester United's ambitions to qualify for the Europa League semifinal have received a huge boost after three players returned to training on Wednesday. Erik ten Hag's side travel to Spain to face Sevilla in the second leg of the European second-tier competition.

The tie is evenly poised at 2-2 after the Red Devils threw away a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford last week. With the elimination of the away goals rule, United will just need a win of any margin to proceed.

Erik ten Hag, Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, Marcel Sabitzer, Marcus Rashford, Sevilla
Erik ten Hag during a Manchester United training session on April 19, 2023. Photo by Martin Rickett.
Source: Getty Images

This quest received a major shot in the arm after Marcus Rashford, Marcel Sabitzer and Luke Shaw returned to training on Wednesday. This will be welcome news for ten Hag, who has, in recent weeks, seen a couple of his stars retreat to the injury table as they struggle to cope up with the rigours of four competitions.

What injuries did the players have?

Rashford limped out during United's win over Everton on April 8 with a groin injury. The England international has been the club's best player this season, especially after the World Cup break.

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ click on "Recommended for you" and enjoy!

Sabitzer went off injured during warming up ahead of their clash against Nottingham Forrest over the weekend. The on-loan player from Bayern Munich scored the goals against Sevilla last week.

Shaw, meanwhile, went off early against Brentford at Old Trafford on April 5th. His deputy, Tyrell Malacia, was also spotted in training, as BBC reports. In their absences, Diogo Dalot filled in at left-back and put in a decent shift against Nottingham.

It remains to be seen whether the quartet will feature full-time in Andalusia, but ten Hag will be happy to have those options available to him. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez remain long-term absentees in what could see Shaw deployed as a centre-back.

Bruno Fernandes will not make the Spain trip as he is suspended.

Lisandro Martinez 's injury update

Sports Brief had previously reported that Lisandro Martinez left the pitch in tears after picking up what looked like a serious injury on April 13th. The Manchester United defender went down after no contact from any player, clutching to his ankle and looking to be in complete distress.

Martinez was part of Erik ten Hag's starting eleven as they welcomed a struggling Sevilla to Old Trafford for the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals.

The Argentina international was helped off the pitch by his fellow World Cup-winning teammates Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna.

Authors
Martin Moses photo
Martin Moses
Martin Moses is a sports journalist with over five years of experience in media. He graduated from Multimedia University of Kenya (Bachelor of Journalism, 2017-2021)
Tags
Erik Ten Haag