Erik ten Hag is hoping to see his selection options boosted when Manchester United restart their Premier League campaign.
The Red Devils host Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford the day after Boxing Day, a rare schedule for United. And it's been a rare season, with the winter World Cup splitting the season into two halves and forcing managers to wait on key players to return to action after representing their countries.
It's no different for Ten Hag, who was without six stars when the Red Devils welcomed Burnley in the EFL Cup on Wednesday. Fortunately, United ran out 2-0 winners and booked a clash with Charlton Athletic in the quarter-finals, and can now turn the attention to facing newly-promoted Forest on Tuesday.
Here's a round-up of the latest injury updates and expected return dates at Old Trafford.
Raphael Varane
Having suffered World Cup final heartbreak with France just over a week ago, Varane understandably wasn't available for Wednesday's cup win. The 29-year-old even missed the Red Devils' final six matches prior to the World Cup due to injury but Ten Hag hopes to have him back shortly.
"He [Varane] is disappointed, as anybody would be after losing the World Cup final," the United manager stated after beating Burnley. "I think he can also be proud [to have played] again in the final, with all that he has achieved in his football career.
"It is a massive performance as a team, and a player like Rapha, when you win so many trophies. Even though he finished second, it is a massive achievement because the level of the nation is so high. They came into the final and, even in the final, they were very close."
Lisandro Martinez
At the opposite end of the emotional spectrum is Martinez, who watched from the bench as his Argentina edged Varane's France on penalties. The former Ajax star has been integral to the Red Devils' promising start to the campaign but Ten Hag rightly allowed him to enjoy the celebrations in Buenos Aires.
Nevertheless, the Dutchman reminded Martinez on Wednesday that he eventually needs to come back down to Earth. "I can't answer that question now," Ten Hag admitted when asked when the centre-back will be available again.
"He is still celebrating now in Buenos Aires now, going around in the touring car! Going around in Buenos Aires and I can understand it, it is very emotional when you achieve this World Cup success in your country. It is magnificent, it is the highest that you can achieve. But Licha also has to understand that on December 27, the Premier League will go on."
Harry Maguire
Staying in central defence and Maguire's absence through illness on Wednesday forced midfield general Casemiro to slot into the back line. Having only made the quarter-finals with England, the Red Devils captain was expected to be fit and available against Burnley, but Ten Hag may well be forced to alter his plans once again for the Forest clash.
"I can't answer because Harry is sick," the ex-Ajax boss admitted on Wednesday night. "I don't know how that develops. We have to wait. Maybe the coming hours, maybe the coming days, and then we will see if he is available for Forest."
Diogo Dalot
Another defender who didn't feature in the victory over Burnley was Dalot, who also crashed out at the quarter-finals. Having been a standout player in the first half of United's season, the right-back picked up an unfortunate injury while playing for Portugal which could halt his momentum.
Speaking ahead of the Burnley match, Ten Hag confirmed: "Dalot had some complaints, he felt them during his last game with Portugal." Nothing has been mentioned since.
Jadon Sancho
Not injured but firmly out of the picture, Sancho is continuing to work through an individual training programme in a bid to rediscover the impressive form which he showed in the early stages of the campaign. The 22-year-old is still not 'physically and mentally' ready to return to training, something Ten Hag also confirmed last time out.
During a post-match interview with Sky Sports, the Red Devils boss was asked whether he could provide an update on Sancho's possible return, to which he bluntly said: "No". The interviewer proceeded to probe him again by asking: "Nothing you can tell us? No timescale?". Once more, the Ten Hag's simple reply was: "No."
Axel Tuanzebe
Finally, it's good news for Tuanzebe as he edges closer to being available to play for United, 19 months after his last competitive appearance in the gut-wrenching Europa League final defeat to Villarreal. Having spent last season on loan at Aston Villa and Napoli, the academy graduate is now hoping to impress Ten Hag after recovering from an unknown injury which has ruled him out since July.
The club confirmed on December 5 that Tuanzebe was training alone and not joining the rest of the squad for their warm-weather training camp in Spain. Now back on the grass, the Manchester Evening News claim that the 25-year-old's chances of featuring in the second half of the season have been boosted by United planning loans for fellow centre-backs Teden Mengi and Di'Shon Bernard.
Have your say! How should Man Utd line up against Nottingham Forest? Give us your XI in the comments section.
However, it's unlikely that Tuanzebe will feature in the game on Tuesday, one which Ten Hag is relishing. "[Forest] were also playing in the Carabao Cup and we know about all their games as we have followed their restart," he explained in his pre-match press conference. "We know enough from the opponent, but most important is finally how can we play around that opponent.''
Ten Hag added: "What I am looking at is the process and how we are performing, we have to get the results and then also we have to make the right progress, and then we have a good chance of getting into the top four.''
