Manchester United gear up for their Premier League clash at home against Crystal Palace with a number of lingering fitness concerns.
The Red Devils have already welcomed the Eagles to Old Trafford once this week in the form of a Carabao Cup clash that saw United run out 3-0 winners. Manager Erik ten Hag will be hoping for more of the same on Saturday afternoon, but Roy Hodgson is likely to have made clear he demands an improvement on Tuesday’s showing from his players.
A win would see United sit on 12 points and depending on how other fixtures go, Ten Hag’s men could be sitting just outside the Champions League qualification places come the end of the day. With that in mind, here are some of the main talking points emerging out of Old Trafford on Saturday, September 30.
Sergio Reguilon and Lisandro Martinez have both been sidelined with fitness issues as Ten Hag has to deal with more injury problems. United have since confirmed that Martinez sustained the injury against Arsenal earlier this month, but playing through the pain barrier during the defeats to Brighton and Bayern Munich has clearly caught up with him.
“Lisandro Martinez will be out of action for an extended period due to an aggravation of the foot injury he suffered in April. The Argentinian defender experienced the setback in our Premier League game against Arsenal earlier this month,” a club statement read.
“Martinez bravely continued playing for the following two games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Bayern Munich. But it has now been determined that he needs a period on the sidelines for recovery and rehabilitation.
“Assessment is ongoing to decide next steps. Everyone at Manchester United sends Lisandro our best wishes and looks forward to him coming back as soon as possible.”
Gary Neville has admitted that he is not entirely opposed to “state-clubs” – but conceded it may not be something that works for United.
“I am not opposed to ‘State Clubs’,” the 48-year-old told Marca. “I have not opposed Newcastle or Manchester City. I think United will be under greater scrutiny because the size of the club is enormous.
“The reality is that Abu Dhabi has owned Manchester City for 15 years, so I think the important thing in English football is the regulation of the owners, not only of the ‘state-clubs’, but also of the venture capital funds that are entering the Premier League to exploit English football.
“I hope the new owners can establish the right culture at the club and do the right thing to give Erik ten Hag the money needed to get the club back to where he needs to be.”