Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes is concerned about the club’s chances of reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League after losing centre-backs Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez to injuries.
Erik Ten Hag’s favourite centre-back pairing was injured in the 2-2 draw between United and Sevilla at Old Trafford on Thursday.
The Red Devils blew a two-goal advantage at their home ground, and now, they must win the second leg of their Europa League quarterfinal in Spain.
While Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, who will be replacing the injured pair, have not played a lot of minutes this season, Scholes is still confident that United will advance to the semi-finals. However, Varane and Martinez’s return to fitness is unknown at this time.
As reported by the Mirror, the former United midfielder said:
“Lindelof and Maguire, that worries me slightly just because they haven’t played games. I think they’ll get through it, I think they’ll be fine, centre half is a position where you can tend to get through it.”
The first-half brace of Marcel Sabitzer gave United a two-goal advantage at Old Trafford, but Tyrell Malacia and Maguire’s late own goals prevented Ten Hag’s team from winning.
Given that the Dutch manager prefers to play with a left-footed centre-back, it is unlikely that Maguire and Lindelof will team up at the heart of United’s defence.
Because of this, Luke Shaw will probably start in the middle while Martinez is out, and Malacia will step in as a left-back. Bruno Fernandes will also sit out the second leg after receiving a one-match suspension against Sevilla. While Fernandes is out of the lineup, Scholes is counting on attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen to give United some creative energy.
Sevilla has a record six Europa League titles, with four of those titles occurring in the past ten years. They have also lifted the 2006 European Super Cup.
