Erik ten Hag says 3 Manchester United stars are likely to return for FA Cup clash against Liverpool
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has indicated that Rasmus Hojlund, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are likely to feature against Liverpool this weekend.
The Red Devils will welcome their arch-rivals to Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Sunday, March 17. They will be looking to spoil the Reds' hopes of winning a second domestic cup while also giving themselves a shot at silverware this term.
Ahead of the match, Manchester United have received some encouraging news on the injury front as Hojlund, Maguire and Wan-Bissaka are all set to return. The Dane was dealing with a muscle problem, while the English duo were recovering from unspecified injuries.
Ten Hag provided the update at his pre-match press conference on Friday, March 15, saying (as quoted by Manchester Evening News):
"We had a good week. The players you mention (Hojlund, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka) returned on the pitch, partly at the start of the week, and today they had a session and we are all training. I think [they will be fit to play against Liverpool].
"Tomorrow we have one session. We have to see how they recover from this but it looks good."
Hojlund has been out since United's 2-1 Premier League win over Luton Town on February 18. He missed their league losses to Fulham (2-1) and Manchester City (3-1) and win over Everton (2-0), and their FA Cup Round-of-16 success against Nottingham Forest.
The 20-year-old has scored 13 times in 30 matches across all competitions this term.
Maguire, meanwhile, last featured in the defeat to Fulham, scoring Manchester United's only goal of that game. He has played 23 matches for the club this season.
Lastly, Wan-Bissaka has not played since his side's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on January 14. Prior to his injury, he featured in 17 games across competitions.
Manchester United and Liverpool are both dealing with multiple injuries ahead of FA Cup tie
Despite the return of the aforementioned trio, Manchester United are still dealing with multiple injuries ahead of their FA Cup quarterfinal against Liverpool.
In defense, Lisandro Martinez (knee), Luke Shaw (muscle) and Tyrell Malacia (knee) are out injured. Summer arrival Mason Mount, who has not played since November last year, is recuperating from a calf injury and only recently returned to training.
Liverpool's case, on the other hand, is much more dire. Their backline will be without goalkeeper Alisson Becker (hamstring) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee) on Sunday. Joel Matip (ACL) has been ruled out for the season as well.
In midfield, Thiago Alcantara (muscle), Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones (both ankle) and Stefan Bajcetic (calf) are all expected to be absent. Lastly, winger Diogo Jota, who is dealing with a ligament tear in his knee, will not be available to face Manchester United either.