Manchester-United vs Nottingham Forest
Premier League
Tuesday
27th December 2022
Old Trafford
Erik ten Hag does not yet have Lisandro Martínez at his disposal. The day before Manchester United’s league match against Nottingham Forest, the defender has not yet returned to Old Trafford. The same goes for Raphaël Varane, who, like Martínez, took part in the World Cup final. This begs the question, if we would after all see Phil Jones back.
Compared to last Wednesday’s League Cup match against Burnley (2-0 win), Harry Maguire can be used again. “We have had some complaints in the selection, such as with Harry Maguire, but he was back on the training field today. I am happy with that,” says Ten Hag on the club website. “Rapha Varane and Licha Martínez are not here yet, but we hope they will return soon.”
Press conference
During a press conference on Friday, Ten Hag made it clear that he wanted to see Martínez again on December 27. “He still drives the coach through Buenos Aires. I understand that, because a lot comes loose when you win the World Cup. That is the highest you can achieve in football,” Ten Hag said at the time. ” Licha must understand that the Premier League will start again on December 27.” It seems that those words have not yet had the desired effect.
In addition to Maguire, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Antony, Casemiro, Fred, Christian Eriksen, Facundo Pellistri and Tyrell Malacia are also back in the squad after participating in the World Cup. “The feeling is good. The players who have returned are fully integrated into the player group again and you notice that they feel like getting started. They gained a lot of impressions in Qatar, but now they are back here and you feel that they have a lot of energy,” says Ten Hag. “They are looking forward to the resumption of the Premier League.”
