"He will not play on Sunday" - Erik ten Hag provides injury update on Manchester United duo after draw with Sevilla
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has provided an injury update on two key defenders following their draw with Sevilla.
Two late own goals helped Sevilla rescue a 2-2 draw against the Red Devils in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarterfinal at Old Trafford on Thursday, April 13.
Marcel Sabitzer scored twice, seven minutes apart, in the first half to put United in control of the match. However, own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Haguire in the final minutes of the contest saw the La Liga side rescue a draw.
To make matters worse for the Premier League giants, defenders Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez picked up injuries. While the former was forced off with a knock at half-time, the latter had to be carried off with an injury at the end of the second half.
Speaking about Martinez's injury after the match, Erik ten Hag confirmed that it was not an Achilles injury as many feared. The Dutch tactician added that he was waiting for information from the medical team to know the exact nature of the issue.
He said (via MUTV):
"I have spoken with him and he is okay and he is calm. We have seen Licha Martinez drop out after a moment. There was no opponent involved so it doesn't look that great but we have to wait. The medical staff have to do their job, to give the right diagnosis.
"I think [it is] an injury [that means] he will not play on Sunday. I cannot say what the diagnosis [is], but is not an Achilles. I prefer to wait and to know what it is."
The Dutchman remained equally tight-lipped about Varane's injury, saying:
"That injury, he complained [about it] over the last couple of weeks and we have to see how it is now."
Manchester United could be without both key centre-backs when they take on Nottingham Forest in the league on Sunday, April 16.
Billionaire accuses Glazers of lacking respect, withdraws bid to buy Manchester United
In more news involving the club, Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus has withdrawn his offer to buy Manchester United.
It was recently revealed that the Red Devils' current owners, the Glazers, decided to go into a third round of bidding. Zilliacus has accused them of showing disrespect to the club and publicly retracted his interest. He said (via BBC):
“The delays will make it very difficult for any new owner to build a winning team for next season. The bidding is turning into a farce, with Glazers giving no respect to the club.
“Jim Ratcliffe, Sheik Jassim and myself all were ready to negotiate a deal to buy United. Instead Glazers chose to start a new round. I will not participate in a farce set up to maximise the profit for the sellers at the expense of Manchester United.”
It remains to be seen if a sale will go through before the start of the 2023-24 season.