Erik ten Hag confirms Harry Maguire injury blow ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup final with Manchester City

Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Harry Maguire has been ruled out of Manchester United’s FA Cup final clash with Manchester City.

Maguire last featured for United in the side’s 1-1 draw with Burnley at Old Trafford and missed the final five games of the Premier League season due to a groin injury.

The 31-year-old England international has worked his way back from the fringes into United’s starting XI this season and Ten Hag will have been sweating over his former captain’s fitness, given the number of injuries the club have been faced with in defence.

Casemiro has filled in as a makeshift centre-half in recent weeks and the Brazilian may be forced to continue his run at the heart of the defence at Wembley this weekend.

However, the Red Devils have been boosted by the recent return of Lisandro Martinez and there is a chance Victor Lindelof could be fit enough to start at centre-back after shaking off a hamstring injury.

The Sweden defender has been pictured in full training at Carrington this week, along with Mason Mount and Anthony Martial, who had also been doubts for Saturday’s final – but the trio are in line to feature versus the holders.

‘Harry Maguire is unavailable. For the rest, all the players you mentioned, there are, I think, available,’ Ten Hag told reporters this afternoon when asked for an update on Maguire, Mount, Lindelof and Martial.

‘We have tomorrow the final training session and we’ll make final decisions.

‘But if I have to say now, it looks good.’

Asked if Maguire had suffered a setback, Ten Hag replied: I don’t know think so.

‘It’s just that he didn’t make it.

‘He didn’t heal as we expected.’

After suffering defeat to City in last year’s final, Ten Hag is keen to end an immensely challenging season on a high by taking the FA Cup back to the Theatre of Dreams for the first time since 2016.

‘It’s all about trophies and we have a huge opportunity to win a trophy,’ the Dutchman explained.

‘Over the last ten years there have been not so many trophies at this club, but we have an opportunity to win two trophies in two years.’

Asked whether an FA Cup win would be enough to salvage United’s season, Ten Hag responded: ‘No, but an FA Cup final is a big event and we are there, even if the season is not in our way, we are there.

‘We have an opportunity and it’s never been easy but we have to go for it and we will go for it.

‘We have to believe as we did last season as we have done often against good opponents, we play our best football and I expect that again on Saturday.’

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