Manchester United are back in first team training, and it won’t be long until another long, tedious international break is finally over. Central defender Phil Jones, who hasn’t featured in well over a year, is back training this week and he could be in line to play at Leicester City on Saturday.
Marcus Rashford, who has yet to feature this season, is also full go now, having completely recovered from his shoulder surgery. However, team captain Harry Maguire has still not returned to training.
Manchester United at Leicester City FYIs
Kickoff: Sat Oct 16, 3pm, King Power Stadium
United Starting XI Prediction: go here
Early Team News: go here
PL Position: Manchester United 4th, 14 pts Leicester City 13th, 8pts
Form Guide: Manchester United DLWWW Leicester City DDLLW
Odds: Manchester United 23/20 Draw 11/4 Leicester City 8/3
While visiting local school children, for a Manchester United Foundation event, along with third string goalkeeper Tom Heaton, said the following:
“Yeah it’s getting there. I still haven’t trained yet with the squad, but I am getting better, I am progressing as I should be. It is obviously a frustrating injury for me to get, but I am progressing and I will be back on the pitch soon.”
Maguire is still a week or two away, and his partner in the first string spine of the back line, Raphael Varane, is out for what has been deemed “a few weeks” due to his groin injury. It’s being reported that he could be out even longer than 4-6 weeks, potentially, as the specific details of his injury haven’t been fully disclosed.
So it might just be Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly as the first choice central defense pairing for awhile in the near term.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, 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,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
He co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.