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With multiple players out due to injuries and illness, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag selected a youthful-looking bench for the FA Cup third-round tie against Wigan Athletic.
United produced an attacking display and eventually got the job done with the manager handing minutes to academy graduates like Willy Kamwala, Omari Forson, Hannibal Mejbri, and Facundo Pellistri.
Amad Diallo should have made an appearance after an exciting cameo off the bench against Nottingham Forest only for illness to intervene.
United will only be fighting on two fronts from now on — the FA Cup and the Premier League and with the injury situation set to clear up in the days to come, plenty of youngsters are set to be deprived of regular minutes.
Future of all three in the balance
The Peoples Person has extensively reported on the trio of Amad, Hannibal, and Pellistri being linked with either temporary or permanent moves away from the club.
However, it must be remembered that the club have already sent Donny van de Beek out on loan while Jadon Sancho is also close to sealing a temporary exit to Borussia Dortmund.
Both Casemiro and Mason Mount have been injured for a long time while Christian Eriksen has had a very stop-start campaign thus far due to a combination of injuries and illness.
There is no guarantee that all three will remain unscathed once back and their form has also taken a major nosedive this term and they will need rest to stay sharp.
The situation on the wings is also dire with Antony struggling to have any sort of impact while Anthony Martial remains perennially injured.
Ten Hag cannot afford to take such a huge risk by sending all three out on loan which could potentially leave him short of options during the business end of the season.
Not everyone will leave on loan
ESPN have reported that while interest in the three youngsters is picking up, not everyone will be allowed to leave.
“There has also been loan interest in Hannibal, Pellistri, and Amad but, according to a source, Ten Hag is unlikely to sanction the departure of all three players in January having already allowed Donny van de Beek to join Eintracht Frankfurt until the end of the season.”
Judging by United’s requirements, the Tunisian could depart as Kobbie Mainoo has emerged as a superstar-in-the-making and there should ideally be enough cover.
But both wingers are unlikely to depart with the Ivorian’s profile of being a left-footed right winger a better match for what the Dutch manager wants from his players.
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