Manchester United stars Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu next to the club badge
Manchester United stars Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu
Manchester United have been boosted by the return to training of Patrick Dorgu ahead of the Champions League clash with Roma on Tuesday night, with Michael Carrick working with a 24-man squad ahead of the crucial contest.
Dorgu has been sidelined since the September international break after picking up a hamstring injury while away with Denmark.
However, he is now back in training ahead of the Roma showdown at Old Trafford, although Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw remain absent as they continue their recovery from injury.
The Red Devils take on Roma at the Theatre of Dreams for the first time since a 6-2 win in the Europa League in April 2021, when Carrick was on the coaching staff under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The club’s under-pressure head coach also scored twice against Roma in a memorable 7-1 win in a Champions League quarter-final back in 2007.
As for right now, Carrick would happily take a scrappy 1-0 to end up Man Utd’s nine-match winless run, with the latest negative result coming against Chelsea on Saturday.
The Red Devils have also suffered back-to-back Champions League losses to Atletico Madrid and Como, leaving them sitting 21st in the expanded group stage, with only a top-24 finish securing at least a play-off tie in February.
On current form, that looks a tall order, especially given that German sides RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich are yet to visit Old Trafford, while United also have tough away games against Sporting CP and Villarreal to come.
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Meanwhile, Roma defensive midfielder Bryan Cristante has shared his honest opinion on United under Carrick this season ahead of the contest.
The midfielder told DAZN, as relayed by VoceGiallorossa, when asked about United’s struggles: “Yes, but it’s still Manchester United. They’re a strong team with a lot of quality players.
“It will be very difficult to play at their home ground, because they’ll want to do well and certainly bounce back.
“But we’ll go there and try to bring it home, as we always do. We’re taking it game by game, and clearly getting a positive result would be crucial for our Champions League position.”
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United training squad for Roma (as per the Manchester Evening News)…
Goalkeepers: Lammens, Darlow, Heaton, Mee
Defenders: Dalot, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro, Martinez, Heaven, Amass, Dorgu
Midfielders: Baleba, Santos, Mainoo, Tielemans, Mount, Fernandes
Forwards: Cunha, Amad, Lacey, Zirkzee, Mbeumo
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