Erik ten Hag provides injury update ahead of Manchester derby

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has provided an injury update ahead of this weekend’s Manchester derby, saying it is a ‘race against the clock’ for midfielder Casemiro and full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The Red Devils go into the clash with their local rivals on a three-match winning streak, but Ten Hag was still addressing his side’s lack of goals this season ahead of the derby.

Casemiro and Wan-Bissaka

The midfielder has been out with an ankle injury, missing the Red Devils’ victories over Sheffield United and FC Copenhagen over the last week. The 31-year-old is hoping to be back to take on Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, but Ten Hag is not certain he will be available.

The Dutchman was also non-committal over Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s availability, saying the full-back has returned to training after a thigh problem, but not stating whether he will be able to start.

‘Aaron [Wan-Bissaka] was training today, Casa is a race against the clock, not 100 per cent,’ the Manchester United manager told a press conference on Friday.

Other Absentees

It has been an injury-plagued campaign so far for Ten Hag’s squad and even if Casemiro and Wan-Bissaka do return on Sunday, there will still be a number of absentees. Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw and Amad Traore all remain sidelined through injury, while Jadon Sancho is still unavailable due to disciplinary issues.

Lack of Goals

Ten Hag knows his side have to be sharper in front of goal. The Red Devils have managed just 11 in nine league games and Ten Hag knows they have to be sharper in front of goal.

‘The cooperation has to click,’ he said. ‘But we showed this week some examples where there are so many we have overload positions, going in overload position to the opponent’s goal and we don’t net or don’t even hit the target. We don’t have time to train this, we give some coaching and I’m convinced with the quality from our players that they will go and score more goals.’

Conclusion

It remains to be seen whether Casemiro and Wan-Bissaka will be available for Sunday’s derby, but Ten Hag will be hoping his side can find their scoring touch in order to get the win. With a number of absentees due to injury, it will be a tough task for the Red Devils.