Manchester United stars Matthijs de Ligt, Benjamin Sesko and Harry Maguire were notably absent from the team’s training session at Carrington on Thursday. The Red Devils are set to face Bournemouth in a Premier League clash on Monday, with manager Ruben Amorim expected to provide an update on the squad during his pre-match press conference. Following the match against Wolves, Amorim was vague about De Ligt’s return from injury, stating: « I don’t know, sometimes you have an idea then you have to see day by day. I’m not going to say when he is coming back. »
De Ligt missed the recent games against West Ham and Wolves due to his injury. Despite not participating in Thursday’s training, the Dutch defender was seen at Carrington fulfilling media obligations. The status of striker Sesko for the upcoming Bournemouth match remains uncertain. His recovery from a knee injury appears to be progressing well, suggesting he might be fit to play.
When Sesko sustained his injury during the Tottenham match on November 8, the Bournemouth fixture was earmarked as a potential return date. On November 21, Amorim commented: « He is going to stay a few weeks out. I don’t know how long, but it’s not that serious. We have to be careful with him. »
Maguire, who injured his hamstring in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham, is still sidelined according to Amorim’s statement last week.
The absence of senior players has paved the way for Shea Lacey, Jack Fletcher and Tyler Fredricson to participate in training sessions. Lacey has been included in the last four Premier League matchday squads.
United’s manager Amorim has suggested that academy players will play a crucial role when Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui depart for the Africa Cup of Nations next week.
Amorim stated: « I think it’s going to be hard, but then that is the good thing of the experience, we lived so many limitations last year, because we changed in January, and we didn’t bring the players.
« And then we had the injury of Amad for four months, all these things, so we are prepared for that, even it will be hard for us, but we have a different baggage to deal with that.
« And again, I think guys like Jack Fletcher, Shea, a lot of guys, they can step up, and we can send at the same time a message to everyone here, in the academy, that this is the future. But we are going to struggle and we have to be prepared for that. »
Speaking about Lacey’s progress, Amorim added: « I’m really happy with him. I think he struggled a little bit with injuries, they did a very good job balancing his body, you can sense that he can manage more load during training.
« He has a lot of talent, but when they come here, they can sense the speed is completely different, so they need to spend more time with us to be prepared, because our trainings are hard, at Premier League games, with the pressure it’s harder, so they need to be ready. »
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