Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho could be involved against West Ham United, says Erik ten Hag
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Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho has been sidelined by injury for two months, but is close to a return, according to manager Erik ten Hag.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho could return from an ankle injury that has sidelined him for two months when they face West Ham United on Sunday, manager Erik ten Hag said as the Old Trafford outfit look to improve their away record.
United have failed to beat a team in the top nine of the table away from home this season and the 18-year-old Argentinian’s return to fitness could give ten Hag’s side a chance to improve their sloppy form.
Garnacho has had an excellent debut season, scoring four times and providing five assists in all competitions.
“I think it will be the same squad (that played against Brighton & Hove Albion). Maybe one player: Garnacho. I have to see. Maybe he can be involved, but we will have to see how the progress can go,” said ten Hag.
United, who are fourth in the Premier League, are four points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool with a game in hand.
Ten Hag’s team have five league games left, starting with the weekend’s trip to east London, before they face derby rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
The Dutchman said he is confident United can recover from their 1-0 loss at Brighton
“We have every time in the season, when we had a defeat, then we bounced back. So I count on my team, we have to do it again,” ten Hag said.
“The players have to take responsibility and I count on them. We have everything in our hands, so we have to focus on our performance... I am quite confident about that.
“We need to be there, in the Champions League (next season). We want to be there because we want to challenge the best teams in the world, so we do everything in our power to get that done.”
When asked if his former club United looked like they were feeling the pressure of squeaky-bum time, West Ham manager David Moyes said: “They should see how I feel! If you manage a big club like Manchester United, success and winning is really important.”
The Hammers are mired in a relegation battle and are just four points off the drop zone, but they have reached the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
On whether his side can curb United wide man Antony like they did Arsenal star Bukayo Saka during a 2-2 draw in April, Moyes said: “We’re going through a 10-year cycle at the moment of inverted wingers. Years and years ago, we were talking about wingers going outside and putting crosses in.
“It sounds simple but it’s very difficult to take the ball off them because they’re always protecting it. Hopefully, we can try to stop it. We’ve had to do a good job on players like Saka, who does the exact same thing for Arsenal.”
REUTERS
