Ole reveals injury boost ahead of Arsenal clash
Manchester United have been given a quadruple boost on the injury front ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match against Arsenal, with Anthony Martial among three players in line for a possible return to first-team duties and Eric Bailly available.
Caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke to the media at the Aon Training Complex on Friday morning, and revealed Frenchman Martial could be in line to play for the first time since picking up an injury in the first leg of United’s Champions League last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain on 12 February.
The Norwegian also suggested that Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera could be involved and revealed that Bailly is okay after suffering a heavy challenge from PSG’s Marco Verratti on Wednesday evening.
“Eric's fine,” said the boss. “Anthony will be available and, hopefully, we'll have Nemanja and/or Ander ready as well, so we're looking better for it. They just need to have another couple of days' training with the team. They've done well in their recovery work.”
United also have Paul Pogba available for selection, after the midfielder missed the magnificent win in Paris due to a European suspension.
“Paul was over there training with us and in the dressing room and the meetings, so he wanted to be a part of that game,” explained Solskjaer. “It’s great that he had a couple of days off after Southampton, so it was the least he could do!”
Questioned about the fatigue that the epic win against PSG might leave in the legs of United’s players, Ole was positive, and noted Arsenal’s exertions on Thursday evening against Rennes.
“We’re alright,” stated Solskjaer. “Arsenal played 24 hours later than us and, of course, it will be tougher for them, so we’ll be ready for Sunday, definitely.”
ARSENAL UPDATE
The Gunners approach Sunday’s match following the disappointment of a 3-1 defeat away to Rennes, in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
Alex Iwobi gave Unai Emery’s men the perfect start in north-west France, but the game turned after a red card was awarded to defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The Breton side immediately fought their way back into the contest, equalising before half-time and adding two further strikes in the second period.
On Sunday, Arsenal will be without midfielder Lucas Torreira, who received a red card for a tackle on Danny Rose in last weekend’s north London derby. The Uruguayan will miss three games. Also likely to be unavailable are long-term absentees Hector Bellerin (knee), Rob Holding (knee) and former United forward and Academy graduate Danny Welbeck (ankle).
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