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Man United are still waiting to see whether Kobbie Mainoo will be fit enough to play against Aston Villa this weekend.
Manchester United Football Club haven’t won in their last four games. Two in Europe, two in the Premier League. Pressure is now mounting on Erik ten Hag after some poor results and performances.
Next up, it doesn’t get any easier. An away game against Aston Villa is never easy, though they’re in great form and feeling good after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Our lads will have to be somewhere close to their best to secure a positive result here.
Ahead of the game, Ten Hag has admitted we’ll have to ‘wait and see’ on the fitness of key star Kobbie Mainoo, who has been dealing with a problem. The Englishman only made the bench against Porto but didn’t play as it was too big a risk. He’s still dealing with that issue and for the time being, his selection status remains up in the air.
Check out what the gaffer had to say in full here:
“So we had three players with issues going into this game,” Ten Hag told club media.
“Harry Maguire, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. Harry and Alejandro made the squad and were capable to play some minutes, whereas Mainoo didn’t make it. It was too big a risk.
“We have to wait and see if he [Mainoo] can play on Sunday. If he is fit enough to start or be on the bench.”
United are a better team with Mainoo in it. The young Englishman certainly adds some balance to the midfield and without him, there is a lack of mobility as it likely means Christian Eriksen will continue to start.
However, it’s not a risk I would take. You cannot gamble with the fitness of one of your best performers, particularly when they’re so young and they’ve been playing a lot of football over the last twelve months.
Unfortunately, Ten Hag has displayed a tendency to gamble with the fitness of his guys, so it genuinely wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Mainoo does start.
Do you think Kobbie Mainoo will be fit enough to start against Aston Villa? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.