September 14th 2024.
The highly anticipated clash between Manchester United and Southampton is set to take place this afternoon, but unfortunately, fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund back in action. Despite the absence of these two key players, United will be looking to bounce back from back-to-back defeats at the hands of Brighton and Liverpool, which have put pressure on manager Erik ten Hag early on in the season.
Even their narrow victory over Fulham on opening day, courtesy of a late goal from Joshua Zirkzee off the bench, was not enough to ease the pressure on ten Hag. Manuel Ugarte, who was not registered in time for the Liverpool game before the international break, is now eligible to play and fans are eager to see the 23-year-old make his debut after Casemiro's tough performance against their arch-rivals.
However, ten Hag has emphasized that Ugarte will need some time to build his fitness before being thrown into the starting lineup. He has followed a similar approach with both Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt, gradually introducing them to the team with substitute appearances in the first two games of the season. Ugarte did get some valuable game time for Uruguay last weekend and started again on Tuesday against Venezuela, with ten Hag confirming that he is ready to play this weekend.
During this international break, ten Hag has also had to deal with some injury woes, with Hojlund, Shaw, and Leny Yoro still unavailable for selection. Hojlund, who suffered a hamstring injury during a pre-season game against Arsenal, was seen back in training at Carrington before the international break. However, he is not yet ready to make his return to the pitch. Shaw, on the other hand, has been sidelined with a calf injury and although it was initially expected that he would be back after the September international break, he has not recovered in time to feature against Southampton.
With these injury setbacks, ten Hag will have to make some changes to his starting lineup. Victor Lindelof, who trained during the international break, is available for selection, while Tyrell Malacia, who was registered in the Europa League squad last week, is still working his way back to full fitness after not playing for the club since May 2023. Unfortunately, Mason Mount has suffered yet another injury setback and will not be available for the trip to Southampton.
Fans can catch all the action on TNT Sports 1 and the Discovery+ app, as Southampton take on Man Utd at 12:30pm on Saturday, 14 September. With the return of some key players and a strong lineup, United will be looking to secure a win and get their season back on track. Keep up with all the latest news, exclusives, and analysis on Manchester United by signing up for updates and following our Privacy Policy.
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