Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur face off in the Europa League final next week but a handful of players have already been ruled out of the clash.
It is going to be a very important night for Manchester United, who can secure their place in the 2025/26 Champions League campaign with a victory.
Winning the Europa League also mean that – during one of the most turbulent periods of the club’s recent history – the Reds would have won three trophies in the last three years.
Of course, their difficulties in the Premier League still exist and need to be improved upon significantly next year under Ruben Amorim.
Fortunately, their upcoming opponents are in a similar position to them. In fact, as things stand, Tottenham Hotspur are the only team standing below United in the Premier League table who aren’t going to be relegated.
Both teams have had dreadful seasons but can end it on a high note by winning the Europa League. Heading towards the game, there are several injury issues both teams need to deal with.
Seven players ruled out of Europa League final
There are a handful of players already ruled out of the game next Wednesday, with Spurs experiencing more injuries in this department.
Ange Postecoglou has some important players ruled out for the game, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall out of action, and they have now been joined by Dejan Kulusevski after he was forced to undergo surgery on his right patella this week.
Spurs also have Radu Drăgușin and young attacker Dane Scarlett injured for the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, United have just two players confirmed to be out of action for the final, with Lisandro Martínez being one of them as he continues to recover from an ACL injury.
Joshua Zirkzee is also expected to miss the final despite working hard in his recovery. The Dutch forward had previously been described as a “game-changer” in the Europa League tie against Lyon but will be watching from the stands in Bilbao.
Several injured players are touch-and-go for Europa League final
Despite having a fewer amount of players ruled out for the final at this stage, United have several players who seem to be touch-and-go with less than a week remaining until the game.
Diogo Dalot was doing some individual work at Carrington this week but his return is not guaranteed.
The defensive trio of Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are also in that unknown phase, with Amorim admitting that he isn’t sure if they will be available in time for the game.
“I don’t know if they are going to be available,” Amorim explained to the press this week. “We are going to try and push because it is the final matches and there is a final.”
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On the other hand, Spurs do not have any players in that positon, but someone like Heung-Min Son has only recently returned to action and might only be fit enough to start on the bench in Bilbao.
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