Fernandes, Maguire & Rashford: Man Utd injury news and return dates ahead of Arsenal clash

Following the humiliating 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday night, things probably won’t be getting any easier for Manchester United this weekend – they welcome title contenders and old rivals Arsenal to Old Trafford on Sunday and may have to make do without as many as 11 first-team players.

Erik ten Hag will be hopeful that Bruno Fernandes, who missed a United game through injury for the first time in his career after failing to make the squad at Selhurst Park, will be back in action, but they have been dealt yet another defensive blow thanks to the news that Harry Maguire will miss the rest of the league season.

We’ve gathered together all of the latest news available on United’s long list of potential absentees and their estimated return dates ahead of Sunday’s game against the Gunners:

Bruno Fernandes

The club have not offered any details at all of the injury which kept Fernandes out against Palace, but it is believed to be minor – Ten Hag said the Portuguese playmaker was battling to be available for Monday’s match and although he lost that battle, the implication was that he would be fully fit before long. Astonishingly, his absence was the first time he had missed a domestic match not just for United, but across his entire 12-year professional career. He is likely to play against Arsenal, but the first official update we get may be from Ten Hag’s pre-match press conference on Friday.

Harry Maguire

England defender Maguire sustained an unspecified muscular injury ahead of the game against Palace and the club have announced that he is expected to be out for three weeks – which would rule him out of all three of United’s remaining league matches. The hope is that he will be fit in time for the FA Cup final against Manchester City on 25 May, but he should at least be ready for Euro 2024 if that proves impossible.

Marcus Rashford

As has been typical with United this season, few details concerning the precise nature of the injury Rashford sustained late on in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City have been released, and there is no confirmation of the type of injury he is dealing with or an established timeline for his return. Ahead of the Palace game, Ten Hag responded to reporters asking about his availability by saying that “I can’t tell when he will be back in training.” He is a serious doubt for Sunday’s game.

Lisandro Martínez

The Argentine centre-half has endured several injury issues this season, the latest of which being a calf problem which has sidelined him since the end of March. Ten Hag has told reporters that he returned to training ahead of Monday’s match, however, so there is a good chance that he returns to action against Arsenal – which would be a huge relief, given the makeshift nature of the defence at present.

Luke Shaw

The England left-back, who suffered a muscular leg injury against Luton Town back in February, is also back in training but is believed to have a slightly longer road back to full fitness. Earlier reports had suggested that he may struggle to be ready for England’s Euro 2024 squad, but Ten Hag has since told reporters that he expects Shaw to play again for United this season. A return against Arsenal is unlikely, but not impossible.

Scott McTominay

United’s midfield engine room has been struggling with injury issues for the last month or so and sustained a new knee injury in the recent 1-1 draw against Burnley which caused him to miss out on Monday evening following a failed fitness test. McTominay returned to training on Saturday and is expected to be ready to play Arsenal given that he was clearly close to featuring at Selhurst Park.

Victor Lindelöf

The Swede was initially ruled out for a month after being forced off the field against Brentford at the end of March with a hamstring injury, but there have not been any further updates since and he is not believed to be back in full training as yet. A return against Arsenal looks unlikely at this point, but he should play again this season.

Raphaël Varane

The experienced French centre-back has been out of action since the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea last month due to a foot injury. Ten Hag has not provided any updates on when he will return, although it has been reported that he will be back at some point in May. Like Lindelöf, however, he has yet to return to full training.

Anthony Martial

The Frenchman was ruled out for three months following surgery on a groin injury back in January and has finally – and belatedly – returned to training in the last week. Ten Hag has not provided any specific updates about his condition and the assumption is that Martial is still some way short of full match fitness, but he may yet be able to play some part in the run-in and get a chance to say a proper goodbye before his contract runs down.

Willy Kambwala

The young defender has been called upon to cover for injuries on several occasions this season but has missed the last two matches himself after picking up a knock in the wake of the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. There has been no word on the severity of the injury from the club or the manager, meaning we have no information to work with beyond Ten Hag telling the media that the club needed to be “patient.”

Tyrell Malacia

Dutch wing-back Malacia continues the long process of rehabilitating from two separate surgeries on his knee - Ten Hag has previously said that he is “fighting” but that it would be “difficult” for him to feature before the end of the season. He is back in light training but has not yet rejoined the first team.