Manchester United have been dealt a key new double selection blow for their midweek trip to Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Red Devils make the trip to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night for a high-profile clash in buoyant mood after Ruben Amorim’s first home top-flight match in charge of the club ended with a thumping 4-0 victory over struggling Everton in which Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee both netted braces.
That followed the maiden victory of Amorim’s tenure last week against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, following a draw at Ipswich in his opening game at the helm.
However, things are now set to step up a notch for the Portuguese head coach as he takes his team to north London to battle a resurgent Arsenal side who have flourished since the international break, winning three successive matches across all competitions while netting 13 goals - including five in back-to-back matches with five different scorers in each.
What is already likely to be a tough task for United got more difficult still on Sunday, with Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo both picking up their respective fifth yellow cards of the season in the drubbing of Everton.
That means that both players will now serve an automatic one-match suspension, ruling them out of the meeting with the Gunners. It is a disappointing outcome for both players, with Martinez having only returned from a back issue last week and Mainoo featuring for the first time in almost two months against Everton after injury.
Both bookings were picked up in quick succession, with Mainoo fouling Dwight McNeil before Martinez was whistled for pulling back Everton striker Beto.
Suspension: Kobbie Mainoo picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Everton
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The absence of Martinez will be mitigated by the return of Harry Maguire, who came off the bench early in the second half on Sunday having missed almost two months himself with a calf problem.
Summer signing Leny Yoro has yet to make his competitive debut for United as he builds up fitness following surgery on a fractured foot suffered in pre-season, while fellow centre-back Victor Lindelof is also sidelined at present with a groin injury sustained on international duty with Sweden in the Nations League.
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Maguire seems the most likely candidate to replace Martinez alongside Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt in Amorim’s back three against Arsenal, though Luke Shaw has also made a handful of substitute appearances in central defence under the new head coach.
With no Mainoo against Arsenal, Amorim will have to decide which of his other options to start alongside Casemiro, with the likes of Manuel Ugarte, Christian Eriksen and Mason Mount all possibilities, while he could also choose to drop captain Bruno Fernandes back into a deeper midfield role as he did in the Europa League.