Erik asked about injuries on south coast
Erik ten Hag says the Manchester United defenders who had to depart Saturday’s win over Southampton early will be assessed in due course.
Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui were withdrawn with around a quarter of an hour left to play at St Mary’s Stadium.
Both players were visibly limping as they left the pitch, while Matthijs de Ligt also had to be substituted.
The Dutchman, who claimed our Man of the Match award, later clarified to TNT Sports that he was suffering with cramp.
While Ten Hag said it was too early to diagnose any particular issues with the other players, he confirmed De Ligt’s condition and said his squad were still building towards full fitness at the beginning of the season.
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“It looks like [cramp] yes,” he said, during his post-match press conference.
“We had internationals, short in the season, some are short in the pre-season, some come from intercontinental flights so then you know you have a 12.30 game and you can struggle,” he continued, in a separate interview, with BeIN Sports.
“Hopefully it’s nothing serious, we have to assess it today, or tomorrow and then we can see.”
Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw are among those bidding to make a first-team return in the coming weeks, while Mason Mount is also on the comeback trail.
When asked, Ten Hag hinted that the three would not be available for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Barnsley, although he hopes they can be involved in a busy end to September.
“Of course it’s an important period with many games to play – I think seven in 22 days.
“We need everyone and hopefully players are returning. It will not be the case for the next game, but hopefully in the next weeks they [Hojlund, Mount and Shaw] will return to the squad.”