Jose Mourinho can welcome back two players to his matchday squad when Manchester United welcome Sevilla to Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Manchester United and Sevilla will meet for their Round of 16 second leg meeting at Old Trafford on Tuesday, with the tie hanging in the balance after a goalless draw in the first half. And Jose Mourinho has some cause for optimism, not just due to recent results but also an improving injury count.
The likes of Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Ander Herrera are still on the sidelines. But, the Manchester United boss has been able to welcome Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to full training this week, with the duo recovering from their respective injuries.
In the absence of Jones and Rojo, Mourinho has Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof as his central defensive options. But after their solid showing on the weekend against Liverpool, Bailly and Smalling are likely to continue at the heart of the Manchester United defence.
David De Gea should be the man between the sticks, with Antonio Valencia set to lead the side. The major bone of contention is on the left side of the Manchester United defence. But, Mourinho has preferred deploying Ashley Young in big games of late, meaning Luke Shaw might have to suffice with another game on the bench.
In midfield, there are doubts over the availability of Paul Pogba, who was a last-minute absentee for the Liverpool game. But, Mourinho confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the Frenchman has trained a bit and could be available for the game.
“He did [train] after you left. I don’t know. We don’t know yet, but he trained a little bit after you left.”
Mourinho’s comments suggest that Pogba is likely to start on the bench, at best, having not trained a lot in the last two days. In his absence, Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic are likely to continue as the midfield duo.
Up ahead in attack, Anthony Martial might be available, but he is likely to start on the bench, with Marcus Rashford expected to continue on the left flank after his match winning brace against Liverpool. Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku should start as well, but Jesse Lingard might come into the side in place of Juan Mata for more directness in attack.
