Manchester United could be missing five key players ahead of this evening’s Champions League meeting at Villarreal.
The Red Devils have been in a poor run of form in the Premier League with five defeats in seven league games.
This recently led to the dismissal of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Michael Carrick is now on temporary charge.
The club are currently equal on points with Villarreal in their group (7), and can seal a last 16 spot with a win.
Ahead of the game, they could be without five first-team stars due to different reasons.
Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane are nursing thigh and hamstring injuries, and they are definitely ruled out.
Mason Greenwood tested positive for COVID-19 last week, and he will play no part in today’s encounter.
Meanwhile, Luke Shaw has also been left out of the travelling squad after suffering concussion at Watford.
As per concussion protocols, he may need to be assessed for a week before he returns to action.
Apart from the quartet, Edinson Cavani appears a major injury doubt to face Unai Emery’s side.
The Uruguay international aggravated a tendon injury before the Manchester derby earlier this month.
He was not part of the squad against Watford, and was missing from the travelling group yesterday.
Despite the absentees, United will be aiming to return to winning ways with a better defensive display.
Clean sheets have come at a premium this season. They have yet to shut out their opponents in Europe.
Villarreal had the better of them for nearly an hour during the reverse meeting at Old Trafford.
They created multiple chances, but David de Gea’s goalkeeping heroics meant that they scored only once.
United capitalised with a terrific volleyed goal from Alex Telles before Cristiano Ronaldo’s last-gasp winner.
Ronaldo has been pivotal for the club with two late winning goals in the group stage.
The 36-year-old also salvaged a point at Atalanta in stoppage time with a controlled volley.
With the recent exit of Solskjaer, the fans will hope that there is a strong response from the team.
