Man United have missed Lisandro Martinez for practically the whole season and Casemiro has not started in the Premier League for three months.
Erik ten Hag has suggested Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro could still be weeks away from returning for Manchester United.
Casemiro and Martinez were involved in team training last week
Martinez has been sidelined for nearly four months following a second round of surgery to rectify the metatarsal fracture he suffered in his right foot against Sevilla in April.
Casemiro has not played since he came off at half-time in the League Cup defeat to Newcastle on November 1 due to a hamstring problem but the midfielder and Martinez started team training last week.
Ten Hag had previously said the duo were due back in mid-January, but clarified their involvement in training sessions has been “partial” and that Martinez and Casemiro have not technically resumed full training at Carrington.
“They are a long time already back on the grass and now they return back into team training,” Ten Hag explained. “But not fully so partial. Now they have to make the next steps and that may take some days, I think even weeks.”
Rasmus Hojlund will be available to play against Wigan in the FA
Rasmus Hojlund will be available to play against Wigan in the FA Cup third round on Monday night after he withdrew from the squad for the defeat at Nottingham Forest.
Hojlund scored his first Premier League goal in the Boxing Day comeback win against Aston Villa on his last appearance and he is expected to start at League One Wigan.
“He will return,” Ten Hag stressed. “He dropped out shortly before the game [against Forest] and so he was a little bit unwell before the game.
“The day before we expected him to play and then he dropped out shortly before the game but he is back in training.”
United could have a maximum of four fixtures this month if a replay is required against Wigan, where they are set to be without nine senior players through injury and the Africa Cup of Nations.
Andre Onana will continue in goal with United after they arranged for him to remain on club duty despite the imminent start of Camerooon’s AFCON campaign.
Onana has started all 28 of United’s games this season
Onana has started all 28 of United’s games this season and fellow summer signing, goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, is still yet to make his debut. Onana could stay in Manchester for the Premier League visit of Tottenham on Sunday – a day before Cameroon’s opening AFCON game against Guinea.
Ten Hag’s apparent aversion to playing Bayindir against the 18th-placed League One side has drawn derision in some quarters but the Dutchman is adamant Bayindir is adequate cover.
“At some point Andre will go,” Ten Hag conceded. “We are totally happy and we constructed this group of keepers because we are comfortable with this. We have confidence in them both and both are very good goalkeepers, both experienced at the highest levels.
Coach Erik Ten Hag will still have a headache because of the absence of Casemiro and Lisandro
“I think we can have a lot of belief that we have coverage, but not only coverage but competition between them two or three. We are sure that if Andre has to go that we are good, we are in a good place and have a good replacement to fill that gap.”
