In terms of players who are doubtful for Manchester United’s clash with Arsenal, Michael Carrick did not give much away with his injury update.
Harry Maguire will be back in the squad but there was no clarity either way on the likes of Luke Shaw and Edinson Cavani.
Raphael Varane will definitely not be playing against the Gunners but Carrick has spoken to the club website about the Frenchman’s fitness.
“Yeah, Rapha’s rehab is going really well,” said Carrick.
“He’s out on the grass but it won’t be any time this week, by any stretch, it’ll be a little bit further than that, if not even longer.
“He’s on course [though], which is good.”
Varane was arguably rushed back from his last injury and United cannot afford for that to happen again and get another setback.
Another element to consider is the impact of Ralf Rangnick’s arrival on fitness.
The German will likely work his squad hard to get up to speed with his pressing game.
That is likely to lead to an increase in niggling injuries while the squad adjusts.
Varane needs to be robust enough to cope with that when he returns, but it is good news that he is back on the training pitch.
He has been a big miss for United and he makes such a big difference to the backline, as well as possessing the recovery pace Rangnick will need from his defenders if he asks them to push up to the halfway line.
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