Alexis Sanchez.

Early team news for Everton trip

Wednesday 17 April 2019 16:35

Alexis Sanchez could make his Premier League return on Sunday when Manchester United travel to Goodison Park to face Everton.

The Chilean winger has been out of league action since the beginning of March, due to a knee injury sustained in our 3-2 victory over Southampton. After missing our last seven games, the 30-year-old came on for the final stages of our Champions League defeat to Barcelona and will be aiming for more minutes on the pitch when we face the Toffees.

When asked about Alexis' condition in his post-match press conference on Tuesday night, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: "It was important that he got 15 minutes on the pitch and for his mentality as well - he knows his knee is okay. He was close to getting a goal. Hopefully he can give us a bit towards the end of the season so we can push to get into the top four."

Alexis Sanchez returned to action against Barcelona and was only denied a goal by a stunning Ter Stegen save.

One player that definitely won't feature on Easter Sunday is Luke Shaw. The defender will serve the second of a two-match ban for picking up 10 bookings during the campaign, but Ashley Young will be available following his one-match ban four our win against West Ham last Saturday.

Marcos Rojo was deployed at left-back in Shaw's absence last week, so the Argentinian may be chosen to fill in there again, although Young can also play there of course.

In central defence, we'll await an update on recent absentee Eric Bailly - he hasn't played since sustaining a head injury while on international duty in March.

As for our midfield, Nemanja Matic could have a part to play after the Serbian was named on the bench for our game against Barcelona. Nemanja hasn't played since the end of March, but could be utilised by Solskjaer with big games on the horizon.

Luke Shaw will miss Sunday's game as he serves the second of a two-match ban.

However, it looks like this weekend's fixture will be too soon for Ander Herrera to return to the fold. Like Matic, the Spaniard last played against the Hornets but continues to be sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Ole's last update on the tenacious 29-year old, before the West Ham game, suggested that we could see Ander back for the matches against Manchester City or Chelsea. "Hopefully he can be available for Chelsea or City but I’m not sure," he said.

WHAT ABOUT EVERTON?

As for the hosts, Marco Silva's squad could be bolstered by the return of former United man, Morgan Schneiderlin. The 29-year-old midfielder has been out since mid-March and was expected to return for the Toffee's trip to Craven Cottage last weekend before a twisted ankle in training put paid to that. The Portuguese coach was confident that the Frenchman would be available for Sunday's game when he spoke to the media last week.

"He has a small issue in his ankle, he is recovering now but this week we will have him again," he said.

The only other injury concern for the Merseyside outfit is centre-back Yerry Mina who will almost certainly miss out due to a hamstring injury picked up while on international duty with Colombia.

The Toffees will, however, be without midfielder Andre Gomes after he was suspended for three games having accepted a charge of violent conduct. Gomes has played 28 times for Everton this season following a loan move from Barcelona, but after a clash with Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic in Everton's 2-0 defeat at Fulham, which was initially missed by referee Lee Probert last weekend, Gomes has since been banned.

Former United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin could return to the Everton squad this weekend.

The Toffees are embroiled in a five-team scrap for seventh place in the league table along with Leicester City, Wolves, Watford and West Ham. With just five points between them, every point could be vital in the race to be 'best of the rest.'

Of course, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may provide an update on who's fit and who's not in his pre-match press conference that will take place later in the week.

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