Manchester United will be hoping to secure their first Europa League win of the season when they welcome PAOK to Old Trafford on Thursday evening......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
United, who have never previously faced the Greek club, have drawn each of their opening three Europa League matches this term, squandering leads against FC Twente, FC Porto and most recently Fenerbahce.
The visit of PAOK will mark Ruud van Nistelrooy’s penultimate game in caretaker charge ahead of handing over to new head coach Ruben Amorim next Monday.
The Dutchman has won one and drawn one of his opening two games in charge and will be determined to add another victory to his tally.
Ahead United’s latest European outing, Van Nistelrooy has issued an update on the injury front, sharing uplifting news on Tyrell Malacia. With that said, here is all the very latest on the injury front.
Leny Yoro
Injury: Fractured metatarsal
Yoro trained with the rest of his teammates at Carrington on Wednesday morning, providing a strong indication that he is edging closer towards making his competitive debut for the club.
The former Lille man, who joined United in the summer, has been unavailable since fracturing his metatarsal in the opening game of United’s pre-season tour of the United States in July.
United anticipated he would be sidelined for around three months after undergoing surgery at the start of August. He was walking without crutches as soon as early-September. United, last month, said his return would not be rushed.
Possible return date: November.
Harry Maguire
Injury: Foot
Maguire has been absent since being forced off against Aston Villa last month. He limped off the field, requiring support from members of the United medical team, and was replaced by Matthijs de Ligt just before half-time.
Maguire posted on social media that he would be out for ‘a few weeks’, something former United boss Erik ten Hag confirmed a few days later. He has missed the last five matches.
On Wednesday, Van Nistelrooy said: “Harry is still inside working on his rehab.”
Possible return date: November.
Luke Shaw
Injury: Calf
Shaw last played for United in February, being forced off in a 2-1 win over Luton Town. After originally being tipped to return after the first international break of the season in September and then after the second last month, his absence is still ongoing.
Speaking after the defeat to West Ham United almost a fortnight ago, Ten Hag confirmed Shaw had suffered a setback and that his recovery was not going in the direction United would have hoped for.
He said: “The process is not going as we expected, that’s the truth. The setback, if you want to call it like this, we want also to do it very careful. When he is now dropping again, we want to be very careful.
“We know his past, we have to do this right, because we want him to be available, because he will have a big impact on our performances and also on our levels. We can’t have him playing for some games and then drop out again. So, we will do it very carefully.”
He is continuing to do pitch work with a view to returning to partial team training soon.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Tyrell Malacia
Injury: Knee
Malacia has now been training with the first-team for several weeks, offering encouragement that his return might not be all that far away. He last played for United on the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
In August, Ten Hag said the defender was moving in the right direction, suggesting he could be back at some point in October. That wish, however, failed to materialise.
He was part of the 25-man squad that trained at Carrington on Wednesday and Van Nistelrooy has said the next step for his fellow countryman is to try and get some minutes under his belt via the Under-21s.
“Tyrell is the furthest [along], he’s part of team training for a couple of weeks now, fly in team training, no restrictions,” said Van Nistelrooy. “It’s good for him to plan game minutes, maybe in the Under-21s, we have to see.”
Possible return date: Unknown.
Kobbie Mainoo
Injury: Muscle
Mainoo suffered a muscle injury in the closing stages of United’s 0-0 draw with Villa and has missed the last five matches. Ten Hag, speaking at his pre-Brentford press conference last month, said he expected the academy graduate to be unavailable for ‘a couple of weeks’.
He was not involved in training on Wednesday, suggesting the earliest he now may return may be against Leicester City on Sunday.
Possible return date: November 10 (Leicester City H).
Christian Eriksen
Injury: Unknown
Eriksen was absent from the matchday squad against Leicester last Wednesday and then against Chelsea on Sunday. However, he was involved in training on Wednesday, meaning he could be in line for a return against PAOK.
Possible return date: November 7 (PAOK H).
Mason Mount
Injury: Knock
After missing each of United’s last seven matches, Mount returned to training at Carrington earlier this week. He has been sidelined as a result of both a knock and a head injury.
He was involved in the opening training session at Carrington on Wednesday morning, meaning he could be considered for selection against PAOK. He last played on September 29.
Possible return date: November 7 (PAOK H).
Toby Collyer
Injury: Unknown
Explaining why Jack Fletcher had been included in the squad for the win over Brentford last month, Ten Hag revealed Collyer was another midfielder who had been added to the injury list. However, he stopped short of offering any detail on the nature or extent of his injury.
The Manchester Evening News now understands he will be unavailable for ‘roughly a month’.
Possible return date: December.
Antony
Injury: Sprained ankle
Antony was forced off on a stretcher in the closing stages of United’s stalemate with Fenerbahce, just 16 minutes after being introduced from the bench. He left the stadium requiring crutches, sporting a protective boot on his left leg.
Suffering from a sprained ankle, he has missed the last three matches. However, he was another player who was included in training on Wednesday, suggesting a return may be imminent.
Possible return date: November 7 (PAOK H).