After Erik Ten Hag confirmed Marcus Rashford’s absence in Manchester United’s upcoming UEFA Europa League draw against Sevilla on Friday, two additional names have emerged who are bound to remain sidelined for this clash.
The English left-back Luke Shaw and the young Argentinian forward Alejandro Garnacho will miss out on the first leg of the Europa League tie against Sevilla. “No, [they are] both not available. Definitely, the injury of Garnacho is more severe, is more strong, but Luke Shaw I expect him back at short notice, yes,” Erik Ten Hag said in the pre-match conference.
With the absence of Luke Shaw, Ten Hag could resort to Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Tyrell Malacia depending on the tactics and formation he plans to execute against the Spanish side.
On the other hand, Antony or Jadon Sancho could step up to replace Garnacho who has stepped up on various occasions to clinch the victory in the dying moments of the game.
Both players joined Old Trafford with a hefty price tag. While Jadon Sancho has spent a fair amount of time with the Red Devils, Antony on the other hand, has been subject to various criticism regarding his performance and his price tag since his arrival.
But the Dutch manager has invested his faith in the young Brazilian winger and he expects him to do wonders in United’s attacking front.
“Of course, we expect from frontline players they are not only a threat but also that they have an effect in the final third,” said Erik. “He has to work on that of course,” Ten Hag said.
“But he’s a young player and I think when you see his record – you mentioned he is not scoring in the Premier League but he did score against Betis a really important goal straight after half-time. He did score against Barcelona the winner. You can’t say these are not big games,” Ten Hag continued.
“He did also score in cup games and if you can do it in such games you can also do it in Premier League games, so I don’t have a concern about that. But like many more players from us, we have to step up and he has to step up as well,” Ten Hag added.