Ralf's squad update for Saints visit
Ralf Rangnick has given an update on the Manchester United squad, ahead of Saturday's lunchtime kick-off with Southampton in the Premier League.
The Reds will be looking to get back to winning ways in the top-flight, after Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Burnley sees us drop from fourth to sixth in the table.
Two of our main rivals for Champions League qualification, West Ham and Arsenal, battled to 1-0 victories during the week, although Tottenham were beaten 3-2 at home by Ralph Hasenhuttl's side.
The south-coast side are likely to provide stern opposition in M16 on Saturday too, but Rangnick could welcome Alex Telles back into the fold after his recent absence with COVID-19.
While the Brazilian's potential return is a boost given his strong recent form, the Reds will be missing Telles's compatriot Fred as he is still isolating with the virus.
Eric Bailly is still out with a swollen ankle, while Nemanja Matic has a shin issue, which means he is also sidelined.
“Alex resumed training yesterday. He might be available, I’ll have to speak to him after training today about how he feels because he was out for one and a half, almost two weeks but he took part in training yesterday,” Ralf told club media.
“The three players who will not be available tomorrow are still Eric Bailly, Fred, obviously because he was still testing positive, and Nemanja Matic. He has some problems with his shin.
“He has been having these problems for the last couple of days, almost a week. He was still available, but he couldn’t train for the last two training sessions and he also won’t be training today. Those are the three players that are not available for the game tomorrow.”
SOUTHAMPTON TEAM NEWS
Saints will be without goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and defender Lyanco for the trip to M16, with the latter suffering a hamstring issue during the international break.
McCarthy has been out with a thigh injury since the start of December, with Fraser Forster starting in his stead in each of the last six matches.
Nathan Redmond (ankle) and Nathan Tella (groin) are doubts after missing Wednesday's 3-2 win at Tottenham, but Tino Livramento could come back into the reckoning.
The right-back has enjoyed a fruitful campaign on the south coast since moving from Chelsea but a knee problem has kept him on the sidelines so far in 2022 and he was not risked for the trip to north London.
"We used the time, so far, for recovering," said Hasenhuttl on Friday. "There are still a few guys who are not so fresh but this is normal, the second day after the game. We have another 24 hours, enough so we are in good shape."