Manchester United face Manchester City this weekend – and could welcome back two key players against their rivals. The Red Devils are looking to bounce back to being knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round after suffering a 2-1 defeat to fellow Premier League team Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford. Under the stewardship of interim head coach Darren Fletcher, United were undone by goals from Brajan Gruda and ex-United forward Danny Welbeck either side of the break.
The defeat leaves the Red Devils, who plan to announce a permanent successor to Ruben Amorim after the season concludes, out of both domestic cup competitions and without European football, leaving them fighting for a top-six finish in the Premier League. To achieve this, Fletcher – or any other interim manager appointed for the rest of the season – will need to bring back several absent players to bolster the squad. Fortunately, United’s injury list has dwindled recently, with Matthijs de Ligt the only player currently out due to a back issue since November, although no return date has been set for the central defender.
Lacey’s red card on Sunday means he’ll be serving a one-match ban. The 18-year-old will be absent from next weekend’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford, and won’t be eligible to play until the January 25 match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
But in some positive news for United, two of the three players who have been representing their nations at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations since December – Amad and Bryan Mbeumo – are due to return this weekend.
The tournament has now reached the semi-final stages, set to take place on January 14. Both Amad’s Ivory Coast and Mbeumo’s Cameroon were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
This means that both forwards should be back and ready for the clash with Manchester City on January 17.
As for Noussair Mazraoui, he and his Moroccan team-mates are still in the competition, preparing to face Nigeria for a spot in the final.
Regardless of the result, the defender will only be available for United’s encounter with Arsenal on January 25, as the losing semi-finalists will compete in a third-place play-off on January 17, with the final slated for January 18.
