Thomas Hein
Manchester United’s centre-back, Raphaël Varane, was taken off at halftime by manager Erik Ten Hag after complaining of ‘a discomfort’ and replaced with Victor Lindelof.
In the 67th minute, Lisandro Martinez, another centre-back, was replaced by Harry Maguire, who hadn’t played for United in months. The question being asked here is, with Varane’s injury, will Maguire be in contention to play more? Let’s dive straight in to find out.
Will Harry Maguire play more now that Varane is out injured?
Since Erik Ten Hag came in as the new Manchester United manager, the Dutchman has reduced Harry Maguire’s game time and even taken away his captaincy. After falling out of favour with the new boss, many people thought he would have left the club before the summer transfer deadline, but he didn’t.
According to reports, a potential transfer to West Ham United was blocked by United, so his future still remains unclear. Raphaël Varane is only expected to be out for a few more weeks at most.
However, the former French international player has been plagued with injuries since joining United from Real Madrid in 2021. He has played less than 50 games in that time across all competitions. If Ten Hag can’t find a replacement for Verane, Maguire is likely to feature in several upcoming games.
Can Manchester United win the league?
Manchester United are currently only the fourth odds-on favourite team to win the English Premier League outright. They are priced at 20/1 at 32 red sports, meaning they only have a 4.80% implied probability of going on to win the league.
In comparison, Manchester City, the current odds-on favourites, are priced at 2/5, which gives them a 71.50% chance of winning. You also have Arsenal priced at 7/1 and Liverpool priced at 9/1.
Recent results
In the opening game of the season on August 14th, Manchester United beat Wolves 1-0 at Old Trafford in an unconvincing performance. Their next game was away to Spurs, which they lost 2-1, before beating Nottingham Forest 3-2 at home on August 26th.
On Sunday, September 3rd, they travelled to London to play Arsenal. Manchester United took the early lead thanks to a goal from Marcus Rashford, but then Arsenal levelled the score after just one minute. Arsenal scored two more late goals in the second half to put them 3-1 up, which is how the game ended.
Upcoming fixtures
The Red Devils play Brighton at Old Trafford when the EPL starts back up again after the international break on Saturday, September 16th. Their next game is the first match of this year’s UEFA Champions League campaign for United.
They play German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich on September 20th, a team which Harry Kane recently joined. On September 23rd, they travel away to Burnley, and then on September 26th, they play Crystal Palace at home in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Can United win the Champions League?
The chances of Manchester United winning the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League are looking slim. Just like in the English Premier League, they are also priced at 20/1 to win the Champions League.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the other odds:
- Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1 side) – currently priced at 16/1, meaning a 5.90% implied probability rate
- FC Barcelona (Spanish La Liga side) – currently priced at 14/1, meaning a 6.70% implied probability rate
- Arsenal (English Premier League side) – currently priced at 12/1, meaning a 7.70% implied probability rate
- Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga side) – currently priced at 8/1, meaning an 11.10% implied probability rate
- Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga side) – currently priced at 11/2, meaning a 15.40% implied probability rate
- Manchester City (English Premier League side) – currently priced at 8/1, meaning an 11.10% implied probability rate – odds-on favourites to win
Don’t forget that these odds are subject to change at any time and that anything can happen in football.
