Manchester United have been handed a major injury boost with three players training ahead of their FA Cup tie against Liverpool.
United have had injury troubles all season but Erik ten Hag can see light at the end of the tunnel at the perfect time.
Rasmus Hojlund, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire have now returned, Ten Hag has confirmed, as United prepare to face Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday at Old Trafford.
The FA Cup is the only trophy that United can realistically win this season and the Dutch coach said: “We had a good week.
“The players you mentioned (Hojlund, Maguire and Wan-Bissaka) returned on the pitch, partly at the start of the week and today they had a session and are all training.
“I think [they will be fit to play]. Tomorrow we have one session. We have to see how they recover from this but it looks good.”
United have had rotten luck with injuries this season with just three players staying fit throughout the season in Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho and Diogo Dalot.
But the return of Hojlund will come as a massive boost to the Red Devils, who was in terrific form before injury struck.
The Denmark international had hit eight goals in seven games, including a match-winning double against Luton Town, before a muscle injury stopped him in his tracks.
Whether Ten Hag decides to deploy the 21-year-old from the start, though, remains to be seen, despite Marcus Rashford failing to impress in the role.
Summer signing Mason Mount also returned to training earlier this week, though his fitness must be managed after missing most of the entire season.
Beating Liverpool in the FA Cup would be a major boost to United, who have had a difficult season so far.
Ten Hag is desperate to follow up his debut season last year with another trophy, having won the Carabao Cup in 2023.
And with a spot in the top four looking unlikely, and thus entry to the Champions League, fans are desperate to see some sort of progress after a stop-start campaign.
Matches do not come bigger than United vs Liverpool, who are 17 points ahead of them in the Premier League.
“Some games are bigger than others, I think Manchester United against Liverpool is always a big game. I am looking forward to it,” added Ten Hag.
“In such games, we always achieve good performances. I don’t think in any really high-rated game that we had any lows. They are very consistent, we need our best to beat them.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
