Manchester United’s injury woes have eased with the returns of Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, and Christian Eriksen to Ruben Amorim’s squad.
Ahead of last week’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, United’s preparations were disrupted by a series of late injuries, forcing Amorim to name a bench filled almost entirely with teenagers who had yet to make their senior debuts. Ugarte was among those ruled out last-minute, while Yoro and Eriksen’s absences were only revealed when the youthful team sheet was released. However, Amorim confirmed that the trio will return to the matchday squad for the upcoming clash with Everton.
Amorim provided especially good news on Eriksen, explaining that his absence the previous week was due to a “misunderstanding” related to his heart condition. The Danish midfielder is now “healthy” and “ready to play at a high level for many years,” according to his manager.
Ugarte is likely to replace Casemiro in United’s midfield, which remains without Kobbie Mainoo, Toby Collyer, and Mason Mount. Yoro’s return bolsters a defense already missing Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans, and Luke Shaw. Those defenders, along with forward Amad Diallo, who will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury, remain sidelined.
United are trailing Everton by just one point in the Premier League table, having lost 12 league games compared to the Toffees’ nine. With no European commitments this week, Amorim is optimistic that his fit players will show an improvement in form.
“They are improving,” Amorim said on Friday. “They’re building relationships, and even the atmosphere in training is different. But we have to translate that into games and take that next step. I feel we are bonding and understanding how we want to play, but on the pitch, we still struggle.”
