Manchester United resume their UEFA Europa League campaign on Thursday night, with the first of the two legs, in the quarterfinal tie, against Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon will host the first leg, and this could be the match that sees United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo return the squad.
“Kobbie is training with us,” United manager Ruben Amorim said on Sunday after the goalless draw with Manchester City. “We want to be careful, again, with our players, but maybe he’s going to be in our squad.”
UEFA Europa League Quarterfinals Leg 1/2
Manchester United at Lyon
Kickoff: Thurs. April 10, 8pm, Parc Olympique Lyonnais
Fun Fact: Lyon have never beaten United (D2L2) in any of their previous meetings.
Man United Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Man United Team News
Mainoo was not in the squad for the nil-nil Manchester derby, a match that nobody won, both literally and figuratively. Perhaps Mainoo features off the bench here. Elsewhere summer signing Matthijs de Ligt is United’s newst injury concern, and his timeline for return is mysterious. So is his injury for that matter. We don’t know the specifics nor the severity.
“Matta, he has an injury,” Amorim said on Sunday night. “Let’s see how long it is going to take.”
Finally, the youngster Ayden Heaven is not ruled out for the season, like Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo (although he still has a chance of returning for Championship Sunday). Amorim said of Heaven this week:
“He is not yet ready to play, but he will return this season, for sure.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.