Manchester United will be without the services of nine first-team players for Saturday's Premier League clash with Everton.
The Red Devils were missing 12 players for last weekend's trip to Tottenham Hotspur, and James Maddison scored the only goal of the match to hand Ange Postecoglou's side all three points in the battle between two underperforming teams.
Man United will be aiming to bounce back from successive losses in England's top flight when they visit Goodison Park in Saturday's early start, and head coach Ruben Amorim has revealed that three players will be back in the squad.
Indeed, Christian Eriksen and Leny Yoro have recovered from the illnesses that saw them miss out against Spurs, while Manuel Ugarte is available again after a knock forced him out of the team's last match.
However, nine players will again be absent, including Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo, with the pair both out for the season.
Kobbie Mainoo is not expected back until April due to an ankle problem, while Jonny Evans, Tom Heaton, Altay Bayindir, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Toby Collyer are still missing.
Amorim has said that Collyer is "the closest one", but the midfielder will again miss out against Everton, so there will be space for academy players to make the bench for the second straight fixture.
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Man United recover three players for Everton showdown
"Yes, because we don't lose players," Amorim told reporters when asked whether it had been a better week of training.
"We recover players – Chris, Manu and Leny return and, with Chris, it was a misunderstanding. I want to be really clear on that also, because of Chris. He's healthy and ready to play for many years in a high level. It's just my limitations explaining the injuries. I want to make this really clear.
"It's hard to know [about the others]. Amad is for a long time. I think Mase [Mount] continues to make his recovery. Luke [Shaw] continues to make his recovery. I don't have a day [for his return].
"Toby [Collyer] seems to be the closest one, but not now. Kobbie [Mainoo] is recovering. We have to adapt to use the players we have for the schedule. Altay [Bayindir] is making a recovery, Tom [Heaton] is making a recovery. Again, I don't have a day, but they are recovering."
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Which academy players will again be in the squad against Everton?
Chido Obi made his first-team debut for Man United as a late substitute against Spurs, and it is extremely likely that the 17-year-old will again be on the bench for the clash with Everton.
The goalkeeping situation at the club should also lead to Elyh Harrison, 19, keeping his position in the squad, while Harry Amass, 17, may again be involved, but the returns of Eriksen and Ugarte will mean that two of the academy midfielders are likely to be dropped from the squad for the clash at Goodison Park.
Victor Lindelof was the only senior player on the bench against Spurs, and the Sweden international is again set to be among the substitutes for Saturday's early start in the Premier League.
Matt Law
