Erik ten Hag has been forced to call up several youngsters to first-team training after an injury crisis hit his Manchester United squad.
The Red Devils held an open training session on Wednesday morning ahead of a trip to Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday. United are looking to bounce back from their embarrassing 6-3 defeat by Manchester City in their last Premier League outing.
But they will have to do that without four members of Ten Hag's first-team squad, as the Dutchman confirmed that Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were not fit enough to fly to Cyprus.
"They are unavailable for tomorrow. Yes, in the case of Rapha, I have good hope [that he comes back soon]. Harry will take a little bit longer. The other two, I cannot give a prognosis," Ten Hag said of his injured quartet.
"First of all, it doesn't make a difference... Europa League, Premier League, we have to win in all the leagues and all the cups. So, tomorrow, we will play our best team and we have to construct the team because also we want a competitive culture in our team, in this club."
With that quartet on the sidelines, Ten Hag has opted to give some of the club's youngsters a chance to impress. Attacker Isak Hansen-Aaroen, as well as midfielders Toby Collyer, Omari Forson and Maxi Oyedele were called up by the United boss.
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All apart from Oyedele have been pictured being included in training under Ten Hag before. But they are far from regulars, with this likely being a special measure in light of the injuries to Varane, Maguire, Van de Beek and Wan-Bissaka.
Involvement in first-team training marks a remarkable rise for Oyedele in particular, with the 17-year-old having started the season in the Under-18 squad. He was soon called up to feature in Premier League 2, alongside Hansen-Aaroen, Collyer and Forson.
Hansen-Aaroen has scored twice in his seven games in the reserve league this season and Forson has notched three strikes in his six outings. While they have been handed a chance to impress by Ten Hag, none are included in the squad for the clash with Omonia.
Youngsters Zidane Iqbal, Fernando Pellistri and Alejandro Garnacho will travel, though, alongside the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo. Anthony Martial has also been included, having made his return from injury in the derby defeat by City
United are second in Europa League Group E, three points behind leaders Real Sociedad. They lost to the La Liga side in their first game of the competition before easing past Sheriff Tiraspol ahead of the recent international break.
Meanwhile, Hansen-Aaroen, Collyer, Oyedele and Forson will hope for more chances to train with the first team soon. They could even feature in the Europa League at some point this season, given the hectic run of fixtures that Premier League teams are facing over the next six weeks.
