Erik ten Hag will have to rotate his team for Manchester United’s FA Cup clash with West Ham on Wednesday night, with the fixture schedule taking its toll.
United host West Ham at Old Trafford in a 7.45pm kick-off on Wednesday in a short turnaround from the 2-0 win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday night. Ten Hag’s side have not been knocked out of any competition, meaning they have been forced to compete on four fronts.
Luke Shaw and Fred both started all eight of United’s fixtures in February – and they are expected to be rested for the fifth-round tie against the Hammers. Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Ten Hag also revealed that Antony Martial is not yet fit enough to return to the squad.
"Anthony Martial is not available and Luke Shaw and Fred are questions for tomorrow,” he said on Tuesday. Martial has not played since scoring in United’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup on February 1 due to a hip injury.
United will also be without injured midfield duo Christian Eriksen, who is still recovering from an ankle injury, and Donny van de Beek, who has been ruled out for the season. Ten Hag is hoping United can build on the confidence gained from ending the club’s six-year wait for silverware.
"Of course, yesterday, the players were still enthusiastic and they had to celebrate this momentum," he said. "But, yesterday, after we settled down, we get back to work. What we had to do was recovery and the ones who played less did a good training session."
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United will be hoping to extend his side’s 10-game unbeaten run against a West Ham side who regained confidence with an impressive 4-0 win over Forest in the Premier League on the weekend.
That win did come with some consequences for David Moyes’ side, who lost Lukasz Fabianski and Vladimir Coufal to injuries. The defensive duo have both been ruled out by manager David Moyes.
"We've got a squad available and ready to go," Moyes said. "But we've got a few injuries. I think that [Fabianski and Coufal] are really the two injuries we had from the weekend. Apart from that, the squad is just about what it was.
"We're actually waiting on a couple of boys who have got knocks as well. It's a very quick turnaround. If you look at our fixtures, it's difficult when you have to go to Old Trafford on a Wednesday and then we're away to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday. This one getting fitted in makes it a little more awkward."
Danny Ings is cup-tied, having already played in the competition for Aston Villa, while Maxwel Cornet and Kurt Zouma are still recovering from injuries.
