Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has mentioned that the return to action for Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro may take “weeks.”
Casemiro has been sidelined for the past two months with a hamstring issue, while Martinez has been out of play since September due to a recurring foot ailment initially sustained in April.
Although Ten Hag confirmed that they are not yet ready for action, both players have resumed training and were spotted at Carrington last week.
On a positive note, Rasmus Hojlund is expected to be eligible for the Red Devils’ match against Wigan Athletic, as per the Dutchman’s statement.
Talking at a pre-match press conference, Ten Hag said [via ESPN]: “They [Casemiro and Martinez] are a long time already back on the grass and now they return back into team training but not fully, so partial. Now they have to make the next steps and that may take some days, I think even weeks.
“He [Hojlund] will return. He dropped out shortly before the game [against Forest] and so he was a little bit unwell before the game.
The day before we expected him to play and then he dropped out shortly before the game but he is back in training.”
Rasmus Hojlund has faced challenges in the league, managing to score only once in 15 appearances, and that lone goal came in his recent outing for the Red Devils.
The prolonged absence of Casemiro and Martinez has been detrimental to Manchester United’s season, leading to their exit from the Champions League and an overall lacklustre performance in the league.
In their upcoming fixture, United will face Championship side Wigan Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup.
Hojlund is expected to be in the starting lineup, aiming to gain momentum against a comparatively weaker opponent.