Manchester United will face Barnsley on Tuesday night in the EFL Cup, and they enter this fixture with a myriad of injury concerns.
Although Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount are still unavailable as they work their way back from injuries, per manager Erik ten Hag, the Dutch coach gave more positive updates regarding three key starters in the back four.
Center backs Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt, as well as starting right back Noussair Mazraoui, will all be available against Barnsley after questions about recent injuries.
Martinez suffered an injury in the 77th minute of the win over the weekend against Southampton, but he won’t have to miss any action. Mazraoui was also taken off in the 74th minute, but there are no concerns with this other former Ajax star either.
As for De Ligt, the other big-name Bayern Munich signing is back for Manchester United after a cramp very late in the game against Southampton, which initially caused an injury stir. But like the others, there is nothing to fret here.
Manchester United will have to weigh the pros and cons of playing any of these star defenders against Barnsley with Crystal Palace ahead this weekend in the Premier League, because Man United can easily win without risking too many of their starters, especially Martinez if he is any touch less than 100 percent.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.