Man Utd vs Aston Villa team and injury news - seven players ruled out and two doubts

Manchester United will be hoping Antony and Jadon Sancho are available for Thursday’s EFL Cup third-round tie with Aston Villa.

The duo missed Sunday’s Premier League meeting between the sides, where Villa won 3-1 thanks to goals from Leon Bailey, Lucas Digne and Jacob Ramsey, and neither United players were spotted in the club’s latest training video on Tuesday. Sancho was absent at the weekend due to illness, while Antony has been suffering from injury.

The former Ajax man was selected in Brazil’s World Cup squad this week and club doctor Rodrigo Lasmar gave an update on the 22-year-old’s fitness. “Antony had a small problem in the flexor muscles of the right hip, he is in the recovery process,” he said.

“He’s in a recovery phase. We have time for him to recover in time to be with us. This week is important, we are talking day by day. This final phase is important.”

It means Antony is a major doubt for Thursday’s game, while Raphael Varane, Brandon Williams and former Villa centre-back Axel Tuanzebe all remain sidelined with long-term injuries.

As for Villa, they’ll be missing at least one of Sunday’s stars when they travel to Old Trafford. Leander Dendoncker is ineligible for the trip to Old Trafford as he played for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the competition earlier this season.

Jan Bednark is in the same boat having represented Southampton in the second round, while Philippe Coutinho is the only other absentee for Villa. The 30-year-old has been ruled out until after the World Cup due to a thigh injury, which resulted in him being omitted from the Brazil squad this week.

“Coutinho is injured,” Villa manager Unai Emery said on Sunday. “I don’t know how long it will be but, today, he couldn’t play and he’s not going to play until after the break. It’s a muscular injury. He’s not going to play on Thursday or Sunday because he’s injured and he’s out longer.”

Fellow Brazilian Diego Carlos is Villa’s only long-term injury, after Ludwig Augustinsson and Boubacar Kamara returned to the matchday squad on Sunday.

Ruled out: Tuanzebe, Varane, Williams (United); Carlos, Bednarek, Dendoncker, Coutinho (Villa)

Doubts: Antony, Sancho (United)

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