Manchester United could welcome Antonio Valencia back into the squad for the game against Arsenal this weekend after the player recovered from a broken arm sooner than was expected.
United currently have six players listed as injured (five if you don’t count James Wilson), one fewer than Arsenal who aren’t having any sort of crisis according to reports in the press.
That is likely to change when Alexis’s leg falls off when playing Uruguay on Tuesday night.
[If you’d like to see how many injuries both sides have suffered over the course of the season so far, you can view the 16/17 Injury League here – hint, Arsenal have more than double Manchester United’s points total already]
United have the following players listed as injured:
- Eric Bailly – Knee
- Chris Smalling – Broken toe
- Luke Shaw – Lower leg
- Antonio Valencia – Broken arm
- Marouane Fellaini – Tennis elbow
- James Wilson – ACL
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also suspended for the game after picking up five yellows while Ander Herrera is also suspended due to his two-yellow red last weekend..
Arsenal, meanwhile, will certainly be without the following players:
- Danny Welbeck – Knee
- Chuba Akpom – Back fracture
- Per Mertesacker – Knee
- Lucas Perez – Ankle
- Hector Bellerin – Ankle
- Santi Cazorla – Achilles (definitely out)
While massive doubts hang over Alexis Sanchez who is likely to try to shake off a hamstring tear by playing in a World Cup qualifier.
With Jose Mourinho publicly blasting Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw for not playing through the pain barrier, the Express close their article about Valencia, who, remember, had a broken arm, by saying, “The long-term club servant is hoping to earn a new deal at United with his current contract set to expire in the summer.
“And showing his dedication to recover so swiftly from injury will please his manager.”
I haven’t had a broken arm, but I have had a badly broken wrist. ‘Dedication’ has absolutely nothing to do with recovering from it.
If that’s the sort of thing Mourinho is judging players on, he really has lost the plot.
[If you’d like to see how many injuries both sides have suffered over the course of the season so far, you can view the 16/17 Injury League here – hint, Arsenal have more than double Manchester United’s points total already]