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Team News: Man United trio to miss Premier League clash vs Southampton

Manchester United trio of Nemanja Matic, Fred and Eric Bailly to miss Southampton clash .
Manchester United trio of Nemanja Matic, Fred and Eric Bailly to miss Southampton clash .

Manchester United trio of Nemanja Matic, Fred and Eric Bailly to miss Southampton clash

Ralf Rangnick has provided the latest team news for Manchester United in the build-up to their match against Southampton in the Premier League. His side suffered a disappointing result in the previous fixture as relegation-threatened Burnley held them to a 1-1 draw on the night.

Speaking in the pre-match presser (h/t Manchester United official website), Rangnick has revealed that Alex Telles has returned to training after recovering from Covid-19. However, the left-back is unlikely to start given that he is currently lacking match fitness.

“Alex resumed training yesterday. He might be available, I’ll have to speak to him after training today about how he feels because he was out for one and a half, almost two weeks but he took part in training yesterday.”

However, the German coach has confirmed that Eric Bailly, Fred and Nemanja Matic will miss the league clash tomorrow. Bailly is still out of contention with his swollen ankle, whereas Fred has not recovered from Covid-19. Matic, on the other hand, has picked up a nagging issue on his shin, which has sidelined him for the match.

Manchester United trio of Nemanja Matic, Fred and Eric Bailly to miss Southampton clash .
Alex Telles is a doubt for Southampton clash despite returning to training.

“The three players who will not be available tomorrow are still Eric Bailly, Fred, obviously because he was still testing positive, and Nemanja Matic. He has some problems with his shin. He has been having these problems for the last couple of days, almost a week.”

Midfield an issue?

The absence of the Brazilian and the 33-year-old Matic will be the most concerning update among this bunch. After all, we did suffer to maintain control in midfield against Sean Dyche’s side, and they cut through us at times with relative ease. That means Scott McTominay would be our only pivot option against the Saints.

If Telles does return to the squad, it would be a massive boost since he has performed well under the 63-year-old manager. Moreover, with Luke Shaw as the only other option, having the Brazilian available is a breath of relief. But as the coach mentioned, we need to wait and see what role Telles plays on the night.

Nemanja Matic is suffering from a shin problem. (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
Nemanja Matic is suffering from a shin problem. (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)

More Manchester United News

Bailly would be the least of our concerns since we do have adequate backup in the centre-back position. Phil Jones has shown that he can deputise for us when needed, while Raphael Varane would undoubtedly be our best defender at this stage. However, Harry Maguire is a different matter, altogether, following his performances against the Clarets.

It remains to be seen if the Red Devils boss would drop the skipper for Victor Lindelof. After all, the latter has been solid when he has played, unlike Maguire, who has been inconsistent this season. Rangnick has plenty of decisions to make ahead of what is a must win for the Red Devils in the race for a top four finish.

Written by Rijo Sam Daniel

A football enthusiast who is madly in love with the game

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