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Manchester United are heading into the FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest on the back of a limp 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Fulham.
Erik ten Hag’s men will hope to leave frustrations of the Premier League defeat in the rear-view mirror by making it to the last eight of the FA Cup.
The early team news suggests the Red Devils will have to dig deep to secure a win at The City Ground, as the side will be without a number of star players for Wednesday’s outing.
Ahead of the manager’s press conference, the club’s official site has shed light on the fitness levels of the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Luke Shaw, and Casemiro.
Hojlund’s absence stifled Man United’s attack at Old Trafford over the weekend. The Denmark international had netted seven goals in his last six league games before getting sidelined with a muscle injury. It’s understood he’s out for the next couple of weeks.
Luke Shaw is also not going to feature against Forest. The Englishman is expected to remain out of contention for a few months. His understudy, Tyrell Malacia, is yet to make any competitive appearance this season. And as things stand, that is not going to change on Wednesday night.
Casemiro is the most recent injury concern for United after the Brazilian midfield veteran left the Fulham clash in the 53rd minute following a head collision with Harrison Reed.
Speaking about the issue in his post-match press conference, Ten Hag revealed:
“I actually don’t know [the issue] but he had to come off. He had to come off so we have to speak with the doctor, and the medical team, to see how he’s doing.
“He couldn’t continue the game. We have all seen that. We had to take him off and, hopefully, he’s better by tomorrow.”
The Dutchman should provide an update on the 32-year-old’s fitness in his pre-match conference on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the hosts are also likely to field a weakened midfield, with Ibrahim Sangare unavailable, having arrived injured from Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Akin to Ten Hag, Nuno Espírito Santo is also dealing with a crisis situation when it comes to full-backs. Left-backs Nuno Tavares and Ola Aina are both on the sidelines, leaving the Portuguese coach with only Harry Toffolo as his left-back option for the fifth-round FA Cup encounter against United.
Much to the relief of United’s backline, Forest’s top goal-scorer, Chris Wood, is also unavailable due to a hamstring concern.
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