Manchester United are facing a defensive crisis ahead of their Community Shield clash with Manchester City, potentially missing as many as six defenders.
New signing Leny Yoro is sidelined for three months due to a metatarsal fracture, and centre-back Will Fish sustained ligament damage during the 3-0 friendly loss to Liverpool. To make matters worse, manager Erik ten Hag has revealed that four more defenders could be unavailable for the season opener at Wembley on Saturday.
Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof were both absent from the Liverpool match as a precaution, with Maguire not featuring at all and Lindelof substituted at halftime. Full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw are also doubts, as none of the four were present in United’s training session on Wednesday. Ten Hag confirmed their availability remains uncertain.
“Harry Maguire missed the game against Liverpool as a precaution, but he’s still a question mark for Saturday,” Ten Hag explained. “Victor played but is also a doubt, and both Aaron and Luke Shaw are still uncertain. We need to assess them tomorrow.”
Jonny Evans has returned to training after recovering from illness, and Lisandro Martinez resumed club duties on Monday following his Copa America involvement. With these two likely the only experienced centre-backs available, rookie Rhys Bennett may also be called upon.
Kobbie Mainoo and Facundo Pellistri rejoined the squad on Monday, while Joshua Zirkzee, Alejandro Garnacho, Diogo Dalot, and Bruno Fernandes were back at Carrington last week. Ten Hag hinted that some of these players might feature against City, depending on their individual fitness and pre-season preparations.
“That’s based on individual cases,” Ten Hag said. “Each player has a different pre-season start, and we’ll assess them accordingly to decide whether they’ll start, come off the bench, or not play at all.”
Despite the challenges, Ten Hag stressed the importance of competing for the Community Shield. “We aim to win, even in pre-season. We’ll field a competitive team, but we won’t take unnecessary risks with player fitness.”
In the likely absence of Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, 17-year-old Harry Amass could make his debut. Amass featured in all three of United’s pre-season tour matches and could step up to fill the gap.
