Erik ten Hag will start the season with a selection dilemma as he waits to find out how many of Manchester United’s defenders will be available for Saturday’s Community Shield against Manchester City.
Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are doubts, Lisandro Martínez returned to training only this week after winning the Copa América with Argentina and the new signing Leny Yoro is out for three months with a foot injury.
“Harry Maguire missed the game [against Liverpool last weekend] as a precaution but is still a question mark for Saturday,” Ten Hag said. “So we have training, we have to see whether he is fit enough or not to be available. Victor played but also he’s a question mark and also Azza [Wan-Bissaka] and Luke Shaw are both question marks – we have to assess them tomorrow.”
The problems mean the manager will have to ponder whether it is worth risking any of the defenders who are not fully fit or whether it is better to play a weakened team. United sustained numerous injuries last season and Ten Hag is looking to avoid a repeat. He will have Jonny Evans and Diogo Dalot at his disposal but could be forced to turn to the youngsters Rhys Bennett or Harry Amass to make up his defence at Wembley.
All those who played at major tournaments over the summer reported back to training last Friday or Monday, leaving Ten Hag to assess their availability on a case-by-case basis. “We always want to win, also in all the friendlies – it’s about a trophy,” he said. “We will put out a team that is very competitive to win this trophy. It’s also pre-season, we don’t go into big risks with players.”
