Man Utd Match Centre
Team news: 4 Man Utd players set to miss Cardiff clash but duo could return
Manchester United could be without four players against Cardiff on Sunday but two others are set to make their return from injury.
Manchester United will look to end a hugely disappointing season on a high note when they take on Cardiff City at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Ahead of the game, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference today and he offered the latest team news including an update on club captain Antonio Valencia.
The Ecuadorian international hasn’t feature for United in months due to a number of fitness issues and will leave the club when his contract expires in the summer. However, Solskjaer is hoping Valencia can come through training over the next couple of days and put himself in contention to make his final appearance for Man Utd on Sunday.
Ander Herrera is another player who could play his last game for the club this weekend as he’s out-of-contract in June but Solskjaer has hinted he’s ready to give some of his youngsters a chance to impress against Cardiff.
James Garner, Dylan Levitt, Arnau Puigmal, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood have all trained with the first team this week so it looks as though they could feature against Neil Warnock’s men at Old Trafford.
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When asked if Sunday could be the final game for some players, Solskjaer told ManUtd.com:
“Well, you never know in football. It might be your last game, but it might be the start of some careers as well, of course.
”We’ve had some young players knocking on the door all season really and we’ll start with one or two of the kids as well.“
“I spoke to Antonio yesterday. He’s not been fit the five or six months I’ve been here unfortunately. He’s really struggled but he feels that he could play a part and I would hope that he gets through today and tomorrow and we could give him a nice send off, because he’s been a fantastic servant to the club.
”He’s been Player of the Year, he’s been captain at the club and I think that’s only fair.“
The official Man Utd website reports that Jesse Lingard could return on Sunday after missing the last few games with a knee injury but Romelu Lukaku remains a major doubt with a hamstring problem.
ManUtd.com also says Alexis Sanchez could miss out with an ankle injury, Anthony Martial is a doubt with a knock while Eric Bailly is definitely on the sidelines with a serious knee injury that he sustained against Chelsea.
It means Solskjaer has plenty of fitness problems to contend with as he looks to beat Cardiff and hope that will be enough to pip Arsenal to fifth place and guarantee automatic qualification to the group stages of the Europa League.
