Man Utd face Tottenham at Old Trafford on Wednesday night and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has delivered mixed news on the injury front.
Sunday’s draw with Aston Villa keeps the Red Devils down in ninth place in the Premier League table after 14 games, having collected just 18 points.
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In contrast, Spurs have enjoyed an upturn in form after the appointment of Jose Mourinho as back-to-back wins in the league have lifted them up to fifth place.
Solskjaer will be hoping to not only break their momentum given they’re a direct rival for a top-four finish this season, but also to see his side kick-start a run of their own heading into the festive period to start climbing the standings.
However, he has confirmed that Paul Pogba will play no part in midweek as he hasn’t yet fully recovered from an ankle injury, although both Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic could yet be in contention to give him a huge boost in midfield.
“No. Paul’s not ready, no,” he told the media, as quoted by the club’s official site. “So, he’s still a bit away, but he’s working hard, so let’s see. He’s out [training] on the grass, so let’s see how long it will take.
“[Scott and Nemanja] are touch-and-go, so let’s get this [today’s] training session out of the way. We’ve got more games than this one, so I can’t just look at one game. We’ve got to look at the long term.”
It’s a sensible outlook on the situation from the Man Utd boss in truth, as the last thing that he needs is to rush any key players back into action only to see them suffer a fresh setback and face a potentially lengthier spell on the sidelines.
In turn, it may well be wise to avoid risking either McTominay or Matic if they’re not 100% ready, as along with Pogba, that midfield trio will certainly be crucial in giving United a major boost during a busy December.