Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick provides injury update ahead of Brentford clash
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s clash with Brentford, as quoted by the club’s official website, Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has provided an injury update on his squad.
After playing out a 1-1 draw against Chelsea last night at Old Trafford, the Manchester side will quickly be taking on Brentford once again at home on Monday. Rangnick was forced to put out a weakened squad against the Blues yesterday after a number of players were ruled out.
The German had a mixed bag of news to deliver, confirming that Jadon Sancho might be out for the rest of the season due to a tonsillitis issue while hoping Fred would make it for the clash against the Bees. Rangnick admitted that the Chelsea game was too early for the Brazilian to make a return.
“Right now, I don’t know but I hope Fred will make it for the Brentford game. Tonight, was too early for him. As it seems, Jadon might be out for the rest of the season with his tonsillitis, so he will most likely be unavailable against Brentford. ”
Fred’s energy will certainly be a big boost for the team if he manages to be passed fit against a Brentford side that sit just two points from the top half of the points table this season. That is mightily impressive for a team that is playing their maiden Premier League campaign.
“We have to wait and see”
Rangnick also confirmed that striker Edinson Cavani could feature as a substitute against Thomas Frank’s men, with the Uruguayan set to return to training after barely featuring all year long due to a recurring injury problem.
The interim boss said that apart from Cavani, captain Harry Maguire and Jesse Lingard were some of the players he was hoping to expect back on Monday for their next league fixture. These stars also missed the previous game against Chelsea.
“Apart from that, we have to wait and see. Harry Maguire [also missed the game v Chelsea], Jesse was missing for personal, family reasons today. I hope that some of those players will be back on Monday.”
After finally arresting their recent slump of consecutive losses by picking up a point against Chelsea last night, the Manchester side will look to use the game against Brentford to bounce back and claim victory. United had previously dispatched the Bees 3-1 earlier in the campaign.
The Red Devils seem to be ravaged by injuries at the moment, which could threaten to derail their hopes of clinching a top-four place in the league table by the end of the season. As things stand, they sit sixth in the points tally and are in danger of missing out on playing Champions League football next term.
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Stars like Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba continue to remain absent, while there seems to be more bad news with Sancho looking like he could join them on the sidelines until the summer. The only good news from Rangnick’s update seems to be the possible returns of Fred and Cavani.
It remains to be seen how much game time both these returning players could get against Brentford – especially Cavani, who has hardly developed any match fitness due to his rare appearances for the team this season. At 35, he is not the player he once was or is able to maintain his shape due to injuries, but he could still play an important role for the side until the end of the campaign and support Cristiano Ronaldo up front.
