Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has admitted that he is unsure of the extent of the injury problem that Matthijs de Ligt suffered in Sunday’s Premier League clash with Brentford.
De Ligt was back in the starting side against Brentford after making his return from a foot problem as a substitute in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg with Athletic Bilbao.
However, the Netherlands international had to be replaced in the latter stages of the first half after pulling up with an injury problem.
Amorim was unable to provide a firm update on De Ligt after the match, but he is hopeful that the centre-back avoided a serious issue.
Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu were also both replaced at the interval, but Amorim said that both were tactical calls, with the manager looking ahead to next week’s Europa League semi-final second leg with Athletic.
“I don’t know. We will see. I hope it’s nothing serious. We took a risk with [Harry] Maguire. Shaw had to go out because we need players for Thursday,” Amorim told BBC Sport after the clash.
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De Ligt limped off in Man United’s defeat at Brentford
Man United were involved in a seven-goal thriller against Brentford, with Mason Mount, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo on the scoresheet for the Red Devils, while Kevin Schade scored twice to help the hosts run out 4-3 winners.
Amorim made wholesale changes to the side that started against Athletic last week, with Chido Obi and Tyler Fredricson among those handed starts in the Premier League affair.
“I liked (performance of) the young kids. I liked how we controlled the game without many occasions to score. In first 30 mins we struggle with set pieces but we already knew we didn’t have the height to fight that,” the manager added.
“In second half we are near the draw and we suffer two goals like we did in beginning when we suffer one and let it go. We fight but in the end we lose but good things for the future.
“We as a club we need to understand in this moment we have a big responsibility. We have to prepare a squad for different competitions.”
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Will De Ligt be fit to face Athletic?
With no firm update and only speculation, it is difficult to ascertain whether De Ligt will be available for Thursday night.
The Dutchman was substituted following a collision, which could be a positive, with a muscular issue potentially avoided, but the centre-back will undergo tests on Monday to establish what exactly occurred.
Man United will not take any chances when it comes to De Ligt, though, especially ahead of a potential Europa League final, so it would be a surprise to see him involved at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.
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