Ten Hag confirms five key players to be absent in Europa League match against Fernabache due to fitness level
Manchester United are set to head to Istanbul for their Europa League match against Fenerbahce on Thursday.
The match promises to be an interesting reunion, with former United manager Jose Mourinho leading Fenerbahce.
Familiar faces on the pitch include former Red Devils Fred and Sofyan Amrabat, with Amrabat having last played for United in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May.
For Erik ten Hag, the squad for this match will largely resemble the team that secured a 2-1 victory over Brentford last Saturday.
However, one notable absence will be Bruno Fernandes, who is suspended following a red card in their last European outing against FC Porto.
It’s uncertain who will take Fernandes’ place in the midfield.
Several key players will remain sidelined due to injuries, including Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, and Mason Mount.
Mount is reportedly nearing a return to full training, and his availability will be closely monitored leading up to the match.
However, Noussair Mazraoui, who underwent minor heart surgery recently, was unexpectedly fit to make a substitute appearance against Brentford.
Meanwhile, Manuel Ugarte, who was injured during Uruguay’s international match against Ecuador, made a brief return in United’s last game and may be called upon again to strengthen the squad.
His presence, alongside Casemiro and potentially Christian Eriksen in a more attacking role, could be key for United’s performance in Istanbul.
Allowing Jadon Sancho to go to Chelsea was a bold decision by Ineos considering there was a chance it ended up biting Manchester United.
It was deadline day when Jadon Sancho headed for the exit doors, after a false revival of his Manchester United career during pre-season.
Sancho and Erik ten Hag shocked every single fan by making up and putting their issues behind them in July – but they seemed to resurface with the £73m winger left out on Premier League opening night.
This prompted the loan exit to Chelsea – with the Blues holding a £25m obligation to buy, however, they may now be regretting this.
Now, it has been revealed that Matthijs de Ligt has actually shown up Sancho in a surprising area this season.
Jadon Sancho of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Stamford Bridge on September 28, 20…
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
How Matthijs de Ligt is out-performing Jadon Sancho in surprising way
Sancho got off to a fast start for Chelsea after he joined them on loan, assisting three goals in his first three games, albeit the scorers did most of the work – with Sancho accumulating just 0.91 expected assists.
However, since then Chelsea fans have been left frustrated by Sancho’s far-from-impressive performances.
In his five appearances so far in blue, Sancho is yet to score and now it has been shown that he has been no threat at all – with De Ligt proving more of a goal threat.
Since joining United, in Premier League action De Ligt is averaging 0.20 expected goals (xG) per 90 – which is remarkable for a defender and has him in the top 1 per cent in his position.
This trend over a whole season would leave De Ligt with around eight goals – an impressive haul if he can manage it, it would also be massively beneficial for the club.
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For a central defender to cause more trouble to opponents in front of the goal, it’s a real eye-opener that the club made the right decision with Sancho.
Manchester United have solved corner problem
As part of the coaching overhaul United undertook over the summer, the arrival of Andreas Georgson has definitely improved set-pieces.
United appointed Georgson in July and he has been working on the set pieces since – with benefits beginning to be recognisable.
De Ligt has scored from a corner this season, while Harry Maguire has also done so in the Europa League – so two goals in 11 games from corners.
This is a far better ratio than we are used to, as it was not so long ago United went an entire year without a goal from one.
Defensively corners are also no longer a weakness – suggesting Georgson could actually be worth his weight in gold to Ten Hag.
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