Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has delivered a concerning update on the fitness of Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane while also praising the performance of Willy Kambwala.
Despite both Evans and Varane returning to fitness last week and being cleared to play in the midweek clash against Chelsea, they had to be substituted off during the wild 4-3 loss at Stamford Bridge due to their respective injuries flaring up.
This unfortunate turn of events added them to the list of absentees, which already included Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia, and Luke Shaw, for the subsequent clash against Liverpool.
However, 19-year-old Kambwala stepped up and delivered a commendable performance as Manchester United secured a 2-2 draw against the league title challengers.
Speaking to the media, Ten Hag said [via The Athletic]: “I don’t think, at this short notice, they will return.”
On bringing Kambwala into the side: “The decision to bring Willy in is because he has been training with us for a long time and, in his first game against West Ham United, he also did very well, his progress is amazing.
“We were convinced he could do the job and he has done brilliantly. I am very pleased, very happy and it is another signal and message of the future of Manchester United.
“This team, the squad has high potential and if we get more players available, especially in the backline, where we have 27 different organisations, across the season, then the future will be very good.”
Manchester United has encountered an unusually high number of injuries this season, particularly in their defensive lineup.
While the exact cause remains uncertain, there have been reports suggesting that some players attribute these injuries to Erik Ten Hag’s demanding training regime.
Additionally, the absence of midfielder Scott McTominay further compounds their injury woes, marking the 56th separate case of injury or illness within the squad, according to Samuel Luckhurst.
With several key defensive players unlikely to return in time, Ten Hag may once again turn to Willy Kambwala to bolster the defense when they face Bournemouth on Saturday, April 13th.