Amad Diallo of Manchester United
Amad plus 14 more players could be absent from Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United on Sunday (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Manchester United travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend, and if supporters were expecting a full-strength clash then they are to receive bad news.
Both Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou's squads have been ravaged by injury throughout the season, and that can truly seen in their form.
Two teams that would normally be expected to at least challenge for European qualification have been reduced to bottom-half strugglers. Man United, winless in six of their last eight league outings, sit 14th in the standings whilst their opponents are one place behind, separated by two points, and they themselves have failed to win seven of their last eight games.
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To further stoke the fire Amorim has stated that he has more pressure in his role 'at a bigger club' than Postecoglou does managing Spurs. A 3-0 embarrassment in the home reverse fixture last September also stands as motivation for Man United to go to London and win.
But they would have to do so without the ability to call upon eight players at most.
Less than a day out from kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winger Amad has confirmed the worst possible injury news. Initial reports claimed the 21-year-old had sustained ankle ligament damage in training and he backed that up with a social media message, clarifying he will be out of action 'for some time'.
In his pre-match press conference, the manager had stated that three players were experiencing new troubles though refused to confirm their identities. One of those was sick whilst the other problems were unspecified also, therefore it is impossible to tell whether Amad was being referred to in this blanket statement or if his injury is new.
Long-term absentees Jonny Evans, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw will miss out as they continue to recover from their respective injuries, and finally Lisandro Martinez is out until later in the year with an anterior cruciate ligament. In total, this brings Man United's absentees to at least seven, possibly eight.
On the other hand, Tottenham are looking ahead of Man United's visit with relative positivity on the injury front. With information coming from our colleagues at football.london, Postecoglou is on track to welcome back four players into the fold.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, left back Destiny Udogie, midfielder James Maddison and attacker Timo Werner have all been confirmed back in training this week. So has Brennan Johnson, though he is to be assessed and could therefore still possibly miss out.
Added to that, a further six players are likely to miss out for Sunday's hosts. Confirmed by their coach before the weekend, central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, plus attackers Richarlison and Dominic Solanke have another 'two to three weeks' before their absences are up.
Youngster Wilson Odobert has been out with a long-term hamstring problem and may be returning to training, though he is gradually being placed back into action. Finally, defender Radu Dragusin recently underwent ACL surgery so will not return this season.
That takes Spurs' total absentees to seven, and the total between both teams to 15 players.