Manchester United will be without the services of both Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo for Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal, with the pair picking up milestone bookings against Everton.
Martinez started at the back for the second game in a row, having recovered from the back issue which forced him to withdraw from the Argentina squad at the start of the November international break.
Mainoo, meanwhile, was making his first appearance since the start of October, with the England international recovering from a muscular issue.
The midfielder was booked in the 49th minute of the 4-0 win over Everton, though, and Martinez was then handed a yellow card two minutes later, with both now ruled out of the trip to Arsenal on Wednesday night.
The pair will therefore have to wait until next weekend’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest in order to represent the 20-time English champions again, and their absences will give new head coach Ruben Amorim some big decisions to make
Mainoo, Martinez will be suspended for Man United vs. Arsenal
Leny Yoro was again not in the squad against Everton, but the 19-year-old has been back in training since the start of November, and his debut could be pushed forward due to Martinez’s absence at the Emirates Stadium.
However, it is more likely that Yoro will be on the bench, with Luke Shaw potentially coming in for a start at the back alongside Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt.
Harry Maguire made his return from a calf issue as a second-half substitute against Everton, meanwhile, and the experienced defender will also now be an option to replace Martinez in the side against Arsenal
Who will replace Mainoo in the middle?
Manuel Ugarte was rested from the start against Everton, with the Uruguay international only being given the final 25 minutes of the clash at Old Trafford, and he is expected to be Mainoo’s replacement for Man United’s next match.
Amorim will make changes from the side that started against the Toffees, with Alejandro Garnacho, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund potentially also coming into the side.
Hojlund struck a brace against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League last week, but he was an unused substitute against Everton, which allowed Joshua Zirkzee to benefit, with the Dutchman coming up with a brace.
Marcus Rashford also scored twice on Sunday, meaning that Man United have scored seven times in their last two matches under Amorim and eight in three since the Portuguese was confirmed as their new head coach.
The 20-time English champions are now up in ninth spot in the Premier League table, only four points behind fourth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion on the same number of matches (13).
Leave a Reply