Man Utd handed double injury boost for Barcelona clash

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has confirmed two players are likely to be available to take on Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday.

United have been in relentless form since the World Cup, losing just one game in all competitions - the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League last month.

But what also seems to have been relentless is the side's injury and unavailability list, with a number of key players having not been able to play at numerous times over the past few months.

They include Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek, who are both long-term absentees, while Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer are amongst those who have served suspensions recently.

All three players are available to take on Barcelona, whilst Scott McTominay recovered ahead of Sunday's 3-0 win over Leicester.

But two other players missed that game - with Ten Hag revealing that, barring any late issues, they are both set to be involved in the squad to face Barca, in what will be a major boost.

Man Utd receive double injury boost vs Barcelona

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of United's final training session, Ten Hag has stated that he expects both Harry Maguire and Antony to be fit to take on Xavi's side at Old Trafford.

Both players missed the Leicester win, with Antony having been absent from the last four games.

United drew the opening leg of the Europa League play-off round tie 2-2 at Camp Nou, with Raphinha's late goal denying the Red Devils the advantage going into the second part of the tie.

But Ten Hag's side will hope to get the job done at Old Trafford, having not lost a game there in any competition since the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad in September.

Despite the boosts in terms of Maguire and Antony's expected returns, however, the United manager gave a less optimistic short-term outlook for Anthony Martial and his comeback from injury.

He said: "Anthony Martial is not available. He is back on the pitch, but we wait for team training."