Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has provided the latest news on his injured and ill players ahead of the Fulham trip on Sunday.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has refused to confirm whether or not Cristiano Ronaldo will be available for the Fulham game this weekend.
The Dutchman was forced to fetch out a comfortable 4-2 win over Aston Villa on Thursday in the Carabao Cup without the likes of Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Antony due to illness and injury issues.
Ten Hag isn’t confident that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would make his travelling squad to Craven Cottage on Sunday for the Fulham game.
The Dutchman also did not confirm whether or not Sancho and Antony will recover in time for the Fulham game but was certain that the latter wouldn’t miss the World Cup due to the setback that has kept him out of four games.
Speaking about Ronaldo’s fitness, Ten Hag said: “I can’t guarantee that [Cristiano will be available vs Fulham] now, but today [yesterday] he was ill.
“He can recover, it’s not really a serious illness that takes days or weeks, so I think it’s possible that he is available for Sunday and he will be in the squad.”
Ten Hag on Sancho: “He [Jadon Sancho] has had some really good performances and was going in a good direction, but the last weeks he struggled with illness.
“Then it’s normal that you don’t get the nomination for it [the World Cup]. Every manager will take only fit players to the World Cup.”
“We will work on that, but I can’t confirm that he [Antony] will be in the squad for Sunday,” Ten Hag said of Antony’s fitness. “But, he made progress in the last days and we will see tomorrow, Saturday, if he will be available for the team on Sunday.”
Ten Hag asked if Antony’s injury is a threat for the World Cup: “No, definitely not.”
Brandon Williams hasn’t made any appearance for Manchester United this season due to an injury and the Dutchman has described the setback as a ‘bad’ injury.
“Brandon [Williams] wasn’t available, [he had] a bad injury, and really struggled but he is in the right direction,” Ten Hag added. “He is in a good way, he is back on the pitch and he will return to team training next week.”