Nott'm Forestvs.Man Utd

Early elimination from the FA Cup means Man United are one of 13 Premier League clubs who will not play this Saturday or Sunday, with the domestic cup being given its own standalone weekend for the quarter-final ties.

Instead, Ruben Amorim's men will not be in action until next Tuesday, when they travel to the City Ground to face in-form Nottingham Forest.

Much has been made about the current injury crisis facing the club, but that burden should be lifted off them in the coming weeks, with a strong finish expected to earn at least a respectable league position, and success in the Europa League.

Who could be back in the Man United squad to face Forest?

The Manchester Evening News claim that a club source has said many are close to returning, and their availability for the Forest game will depend on how well they come through training around the weekend.

Among those currently absent, there are few that Man United fans will want back sooner than Kobbie Mainoo, who has been sorely missed over the past two months.

Amorim expects Mainoo, along with Luke Shaw, to return imminently, as Mason Mount did against Leicester City prior to the break, even though he was only an unused substitute.

The Man United manager will also hope to get some central defenders back in the fold, with Lisandro Martinez out for the season, and a further three currently sidelined.

Harry Maguire is likely to be back after not being risked for the Leicester game, while Ayden Heaven is set to return to training when the squad reconvene later this week, despite leaving the King Power in a protective boot.

Leny Yoro is another player close to returning, while Tom Heaton is the seventh, and having the backup keeper available again could be important, especially considering Altay Bayindir is currently absent, and Andre Onana was doubtful for the recent win over the Foxes.

Are all of Man United's international representatives fit following national duty?

The Red Devils were also happy to see many of their players complete their international commitments on Sunday, instead of the early hours of Wednesday morning, which has been the case at stages this season.

United had five players involved in the Portugal-Denmark clash in the UEFA Nations League, and all came out of that seven-goal thriller, which went to extra time, unscathed, including Patrick Dorgu, who will return from suspension for the clash with Forest.

The favourable scheduling also means that Amorim will have enough time to welcome back the international players that have been representing their nations across the world on Tuesday.

Usually a Tuesday-to-Saturday turnover is difficult, especially if players are returning from the Americas or Asia, but the additional days of rest will mean it is not a problem this time around.

That will benefit Manuel Ugarte in particular, who has been playing in the dizzying heights of Bolivia for Uruguay on Tuesday evening, while Noussair Mazraoui had a very late kick off with Morocco the same night.

Written by

Andrew Delaney