Michael Carrick giving the thumps-up
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Manchester United should be able to count on Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo when the Premier League kicks off.
The Red Devils’ pre-season is already underway, and Michael Carrick’s men have already played three friendly fixtures in Scandinavia. The latest was a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in Stockholm on Saturday.
But due to World Cup commitments, the manager has been operating with a depleted squad while awaiting the return of important players from their summer break.
Kobbie Mainoo & Lisandro Martinez should be injury-free
According to the Manchester Evening News, this week should witness the return of the four United players who were eliminated from the World Cup’s Round of 16 and quarter-finals, namely club captain Bruno Fernandes, his Portuguese compatriot Diogo Dalot, Brazil star Matheus Cunha, and Morocco’s Noussair Mazraoui.
On the other hand, the final batch will arrive after this weekend’s prestigious friendly against Paris Saint-Germain. The last arrivals will be Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo, and Marcus Rashford.
While all eyes will be on the English forward, who is set to rejoin Man Utd’s squad after 18 months of exile, the medical staff will be more interested in the other two who picked up knocks in North America.
Martinez started in the World Cup final against Spain, but was forced to leave the pitch in the first half with an injury.
While the defender was once again a stalwart for Argentina, Mainoo, on the other hand, didn’t make a single appearance for England.
The young midfielder was at least expected to play in the quasi-friendly contest against France to determine third place, but Thomas Tuchel revealed that the 21-year-old hurt himself in training ahead of the match.
Nevertheless, the MEN insist that Lisandro and Mainoo have both overcome their knocks, so they should be able to rejoin their teammates in training next week.
Will Martinez & Mainoo start against Hull City
On August 22, Man Utd will officially begin their campaign with an away trip to Hull. At this stage, it is premature to predict what Carrick’s starting lineup will look like, especially with new players arriving and others returning late from their summer vacations.
Last season, Mainoo and Martinez were considered automatic starters in Carrick’s team, but despite recovering from their injuries, the manager could opt for a cautious approach by delaying their debuts, as they will have less than two weeks to prepare for the contest against the Tigers following their return to pre-season.
Carrick could instead hand the opportunity to Ayden Heaven at the back, as the young defender has been impressive alongside Harry Maguire.
In the middle of the park, Andrey Santos and Mason Mount have formed a solid, albeit unlikely, partnership, so the head coach could be tempted to test it in a competitive fixture, at least if Youri Tielemans doesn’t immediately assert himself.
The Belgian has recently joined the team’s camp following his £35 million switch from Aston Villa, and he should make his first appearance for the club against PSG on Saturday.