Manchester United midfielder Casemiro suffered a hamstring injury against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, while defender Lisandro Martinez is recovering from foot surgery; Erik ten Hag: “Casemiro and Martinez are really strong injuries, I don’t expect them back before Christmas.”
Erik ten Hag has stated that Manchester United’s injured duo Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez are unlikely to recover before Christmas.
Casemiro suffered a hamstring injury in last week’s 3-0 Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle, while Martinez is recovering from surgery for a persistent foot ailment. As a result of the news, they might miss up to ten games across all competitions.
The Brazil and Argentina internationals joined Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, and Amad Diallo on United’s long-term injured list, while Jadon Sancho is still absent due to disciplinary issues.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to FC Copenhagen, Ten Hag said of his injured players: “I have some time schedules, but it’s always difficult to expect that because they can have setbacks during rehab periods.
“Casemiro and Martinez are really strong injuries, I don’t expect them back before Christmas.”
Ten Hag: Rashford ‘100 per cent’ ready
However, there was encouraging news about Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire’s fitness ahead of the Group A match at Parken Stadium, with Ten Hag stating both players are fit to play.
Rashford missed Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League loss to Fulham due to a “small knock,” while Maguire sustained a blow to the head and went through concussion tests.
United will be hoping that the pair’s comeback will help them continue their revival after they worked hard to overcome Copenhagen on home turf after losing their Group A openers against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
“They played a very decent game and I thought we didn’t play a good game,” Ten Hag added.
“But, still, we won. I think it was a deserved win but we have to do things better.
“We are aware of that because you have to lift the performance if you want to get the result in.”
United’s struggle for consistency this season has not been helped by injuries to several first-team regulars but Ten Hag is confident results will improve once they return to the fold.
“So far, we’ve had to change a lot,” he said. “The midfield balance is also not there. I’m sure once we get there, we’ll play better.”
Image:Manchester United are targeting back-to-back wins over Copenhagen in the Champions League
Man Utd’s remaining Champions League fixtures
November 8: FC Copenhagen (A) – kick-off 8pm
November 29: Galatasaray (A) – kick-off 5.45pm
December 12: Bayern Munich (H) – kick-off 8pm