Man United play their final Europa League group game this Thursday when they take on Alkmaar at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer’s men have already qualified for the knockout stages of the competition meaning the manager can rest a number of his first-team regulars but unlike the previous match where he fielded only youngsters, we can expect to see some senior players in this game since Man United still need to top the group.
Man United have a number of injury concerns going into this match and perhaps the biggest one is midfielder Paul Pogba who has been on the sidelines for a couple of months now.
There had been reports that the Frenchman could be fit to play against Alkmaar in midweek but now the manager has confirmed that he is not ready yet but will likely make a comeback before the end of this year.
Apart from Pogba, Man United will also be without Bailly and Fosu-Mensah but full-back Diogo Dalot and midfielder Nemanja Matic are both back to full fitness and should be in line to start vs Alkmaar.
“Diogo [Dalot] is back training fully,” he told MUTV. “Nemanja [Matic] is back. [Marcos] Rojo is hopefully back next week. Eric [Bailly] and Timothy [Fosu-Mensah] are training with the team from next week onwards.
“We’re getting better and better in that respect. In January, I reckon we will have many of them match fit.
“Paul is not ready to play but won’t be far away.
“We hope (Pogba will return this year). He’s working hard to get fit so hopefully, we can get him back on the pitch. You know, for me, he’s one of the best players in the world and we’re looking forward to having him back.”
Man United will be very relaxed going into this game but still, the players would want to put in a fine shift as this will be the perfect audition for them to try and break into the first XI under Solskjaer.
