Man Utd injuries: Erik ten Hag’s defensive options after Lisandro Martinez setback
Manchester United aren’t the only team dealing with an injury crisis right now, but few managers will be more concerned by the fitness bug plaguing their squad than Erik ten Hag.
United’s injury woes have been largely condensed to one area of the pitch. Following the loss of Lisandro Martinez to a foot injury, Ten Hag has lost no fewer than five defenders, some for extended periods, and now has just five senior defenders ready to pull on the shirt.
Here’s a look at the options available to Ten Hag.
Man Utd’s right-back options
Injured players: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (hamstring)
With Aaron Wan-Bissaka sidelined with a hamstring problem, United have just one natural right-back left in the senior squad.
Diogo Dalot has played a lot of minutes recently but will have to fight through the fatigue until Wan-Bissaka makes it back.
Should Ten Hag turn to the United academy for some extra help, he may look to the likes of Willy Kambwala, Habeeb Ogunneye, James Nolan or Marcus Lawrence.
Man Utd’s centre-back options
Injured players: Lisandro Martinez (foot)
Many laughed when Ten Hag suggested keeping Jonny Evans around for cover was a good call. The 35-year-old dominated on his first start of the season against Burnley and may be needed to play more minutes now that Martinez is facing three months out.
Thankfully for United, centre-back isn’t a major area of concern when it comes to injuries right now. Raphael Varane is back and will waltz into the starting lineup, where he will be joined by either Evans, Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof.
Four fit centre-backs should see Ten Hag through until the end of the year, when Martinez should be ready to make his return.
Man Utd’s left-back options
Injured players: Luke Shaw (muscle), Tyrell Malacia (unknown), Sergio Reguilon (unknown)
Here’s where things get a bit tricky.
United lost Luke Shaw for most of this calendar year after realising that his deputy, Tyrell Malacia, was still struggling with an injury he suffered in pre-season. They opted to bring in Sergio Reguilon on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, but the Spaniard is now out as well.
Lisandro Martinez would be a likely stop-gap but, with the Argentine unavailable too, Ten Hag is going to have to get creative – as he did when he deployed midfielder Sofyan Amrabat out wide against Crystal Palace.
Marc Jurado was the leading candidate in the academy before his summer transfer to Espanyol, leaving United with James Nolan (a right-back) and Sam Murray as the most-senior options.
16-year-old Harry Amass joined from Watford this summer and comes highly rated, but throwing him straight into the senior setup would be a huge call from Ten Hag.