Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is hopeful that Raphael Varane will be back in time to play in the FA Cup final against Manchester City in just over a month’s time. Varane has been out of action since injuring his ankle in the first leg of United’s Europa League quarter-final defeat to Sevilla, with the Frenchman forced off at half-time. He has missed the club’s subsequent four matches and there had been fears he may not play again this season, with centre-back partner Lisandro Martinez also suffering a campaign-ending injury. However, with the FA Cup final not taking place until June 3 – which is around six weeks away – Ten Hag may still be able to call upon Varane before the season is finished. When asked if Varane might be available for the final, Ten Hag told talkSPORT: ‘I think so. Yeah. Varane, for the cup final, he can return.’
Ten Hag was delighted with how his players stepped up to the challenge of taking on Brighton – despite a lack of game time or being played out of position – and feels that application will be key to finishing the season strongly given their long injury list. He said: ‘I’ve talked all season about more than the starting XI. Victor Lindelof, it’s so great for him. He’s played his games but not as much as he probably expected. Now is his chance and he’s taken his chance because he was there. Luke showed composure in defending and organising, building up and he played a decent game. This is what we expected. For the rest of the season, some players, we have to rely on them and I talked about it all season.’
United are back in action on Thursday night away to Tottenham as they look to cement their place in the top four, with Maguire expected to return to the starting XI after serving his suspension. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is hopeful that Raphael Varane will be back in time to play in the FA Cup final against Manchester City on June 3rd. Varane has been out of action since injuring his ankle in the first leg of United’s Europa League quarter-final defeat to Sevilla, with the Frenchman forced off at half-time. He has missed the club’s subsequent four matches and there had been fears he may not play again this season, with centre-back partner Lisandro Martinez also suffering a campaign-ending injury. However, with the FA Cup final still over a month away, Ten Hag is optimistic that Varane will be able to return before the end of the season. When asked if Varane might be available for the final, Ten Hag told talkSPORT: ‘I think so. Yeah. Varane, for the cup final, he can return.’
Ten Hag was delighted with how his players stepped up to the challenge of taking on Brighton – despite a lack of game time or being played out of position – and feels that application will be key to finishing the season strongly given their long injury list. He said: ‘I’ve talked all season about more than the starting XI. Victor Lindelof, it’s so great for him. He’s played his games but not as much as he probably expected. Now is his chance and he’s taken his chance because he was there. Luke showed composure in defending and organising, building up and he played a decent game. This is what we expected. For the rest of the season, some players, we have to rely on them and I talked about it all season.’
United are back in action on Thursday night away to Tottenham as they look to cement their place in the top four, with Maguire expected to return to the starting XI after serving his suspension. Erik ten Hag is hopeful that Raphael Varane will be back in time to feature in Manchester United’s FA Cup final against Manchester City on June 3rd. Varane has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury in the first leg of United’s Europa League quarter-final defeat to Sevilla, with the Frenchman forced off at half-time. He has missed the club’s subsequent four matches and there had been fears he may not play again this season, with centre-back partner Lisandro Martinez also suffering a campaign-ending injury. However, with the FA Cup final still over a month away, Ten Hag is optimistic that Varane will be able to return before the end of the season. When asked if Varane might be available for the final, Ten Hag told talkSPORT: ‘I think so. Yeah. Varane, for the cup final, he can return.’
Ten Hag was delighted with how his players stepped up to the challenge of taking on Brighton – despite a lack of game time or being played out of