Early injury news as Man United face Aston Villa on Sunday.placeholder image
Early injury news as Man United face Aston Villa on Sunday. | Getty Images
Manchester United travel to high-flying Aston Villa in the Premier League in their final match before Christmas
Manchester United return to Premier League action away at Aston Villa on Sunday (16:30 GMT) and will aim to bounce back from Monday night’s unforgettable encounter as Bournemouth left Old Trafford with a point after a stunning 4-4 draw.
Only the second time which United have been part of a game with a 4-4 score-line in the Premier League era and the 11th time in their history, the match showcased the Red Devils’ wealth of attacking talent but also evidenced the work which still needs to be done in defensive areas.
The Villans are likely to prove an even tougher test after their stunning recent form, which has seen Unai Emery’s side win 10 league matches in 11 and rise comfortably into the top three of the division, even raising tentative questions over a title challenge.
United will have their work cut out if they are to leave Villa Park with a positive result, and will not be helped by a series of first-team regulars who will be unavailable for the fixture.
Aston Villa team injury news to face Man United
Starting with home side Aston Villa’s team news for the fixture, the West Midlands outfit could be without five players when the Red Devils come to town.
Ross Barkley will be out for the encounter, with the former Everton and Chelsea midfielder on the sidelines until early 2026 due to a knee injury. Emery said on December 2: “Ruled out as well is Ross Barkley, his [knee] injury is more than we expected. I don’t know exactly, but maybe 8-10-12 weeks. Hopefully, a little bit less.”
Meanwhile, the Villans are set to be without central-defensive pair Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres for the encounter. Mings has a thigh problem and is expected to be out for the remainder of this month, while Torres was a doubt to face West Ham United last time out. Emery has since confirmed that the Spaniard will remain out for another two weeks and therefore miss out on this one. In his absence, former Red Devils defender Victor Lindelof could be given the nod to start against his former club.
One former Red Devil who certainly will not be available, though, is Jadon Sancho. The winger is on loan from United and is not eligible to feature against his parent club. The 25-year-old is yet to start a league game for the Villans, often used as a substitute, and has not registered a single goal or assist in any competition in 13 appearances.
Man United team injury news ahead of Aston Villa clash
For Ruben Amorim’s United, as many as six players could be unavailable for a variety of reasons, leaving the Portuguese with a significant selection headache.
Midfield maestro Casemiro is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in the draw with Bournemouth. The Brazilian will serve a one-match ban for this weekend’s encounter, before returning to contention for the Boxing Day clash with Newcastle United.
Matthijs de Ligt will be hoping for an earlier return, though, and remains a doubt to face Aston Villa on Sunday. The Dutchman has missed the last three matches having been an ever-present across the campaign up to that point, and it would be a major boost for Amorim to have the former Bayern Munich defender available to face the title-chasing Villans.
United will also be without three more players for the match, in the shape of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui. The trio are all heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations to represent Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Morocco, respectively, and will not return to Manchester until the New Year. When each player returns depends on how far their nation gets in the tournament.
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