Manchester United will be looking to take another giant stride towards securing a top-four finish when they travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday evening.
United, who were beaten 2-1 by the Seagulls in the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season back in August, will be hoping to build on Sunday's 1-0 win over Aston Villa and stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to four matches. The win over Villa kept the Reds hot on the heels of Newcastle United, who they could leapfrog in the table with a win over Roberto De Zerbi's side.
United are currently fourth in the standings on 63 points, meaning moving to within four points of 70 would all but seal Champions League qualification for next season, as the number of games for those beneath them in the table continue to run out.
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United, however, can ill-afford to take their foot off the pedal, especially against a Brighton side that still has European ambitions of its own. Ahead of the trip to the south coast, MEN Sport has taken a close look at the latest injury news concerning Erik ten Hag's squad:
Raphael Varane
The centre-back was forced off at half-time during United's 2-2 draw with Sevilla at Old Trafford last month. It was later confirmed that he had suffered a foot injury and would be sidelined for a few weeks.
He is making progress in his bid to return before the end of the season and Ten Hag, despite confirming that the upcoming trips to Brighton and West Ham United will come too soon for him, is optimistic that goal will be achievable.
Speaking at Wednesday lunchtime's press conference, the United manager said: "Prognosis: Rapha is closer than Scott McTominay in this moment but still for the coming two games they are not available."
Possible return date: Unknown.
Scott McTominay
While Varane has missed each of the five matches through injury, McTominay has been ruled out of the last six because of an unspecified injury issue. Like Varane, though, he is making progress in his recovery, meaning he will hoping to play his part during the run-in.
He recently took to social media to upload a picture of sweat-drenched training gear, featuring the 'soon' emoji, suggesting that his return might not be too far away.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Alejandro Garnacho
Youngster Garnacho suffered a serious ankle injury during the latter stages of United's goalless draw with Southampton at Old Trafford on March 12. It forced him to spend several weeks on the sidelines, featuring a period that required crutches and usage of a protective boot.
Nevertheless, he has since made good progress in his recovery, just as McTominay and Varane have done, and will almost certainly feature between now and the end of the campaign. Adressing the media on Wednesday lunchtime, Ten Hag admitted that the youngster is closing in on a return to action.
"We have one training but I think it's too soon (for Garnacho) to be available [vs Brighton], but I think he's short, he needs some training and then shortly he'll be available," said Ten Hag.
Possible return date: Mid-May.
Lisandro Martinez
The former Ajax centre is, of course, sidelined for the remainder of the season. He suffered a fractured a metatarsal bone in his foot the same evening Varane went off injured and he has since undergone surgery.
He is now recovering from that operation and will be hoping to be fit enough for the start of pre-season.
Possible return date: Pre-season.
Donny van de Beek
Like Martinez, Van de Beek is not expected to be seen donning a United shirt again this season because of injury. He suffered a serious knee problem back in January after his leg buckled under a challenge from Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi.
Although he is not scheduled to be available again until pre-season, his recovery is moving in the right direction. Speaking as recently as Sunday, the former Ajax midfielder said: "I am busy recovering from my injury and everything is going well. It is hard to give you a time [on a return date], we just need to see how everything goes."
Possible return date: Pre-season.
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