Manchester United have included Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial in their preliminary squad to face Sevilla on Tuesday night.
The French duo sat out last weekend’s Premier Leafgue victory over Liverpool, though both they and the club retained hope of being involved in the Champions League last 16 second leg clash against the Spanish side.
That said, while it seems almost certain that Martial will be involved in the matchday squad, Pogba’s involvement is not as certain. Man United manager Jose Mourinho confirmed that the midfielder has trained ahead of the match, but the European fixture may still have come too soon for him:
“[Pogba] did [train] after you left.
“I don’t know. We don’t know yet, but he trained a little bit after you left.”
The midfield trio of Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay and Juan Mata performed admirably in Pogba’s absence against Liverpool, but Mourinho would certainly to have Pogba back in the centre as he looks to book a place in the Champions League last eight. Ander Herrera is also still out, bu Marouane Fellaini will be in contention to start.
Martial, meanwhile, will have a hard time winning his place back from Marcus Rashford. The 20-year-old England forward offered Mourinho a timely reminder of his ability with two goals at the weekend, and will be expecting to start again at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Daley Blind and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, too, have been ruled out as they recover from injury.
Only a win will do for the Red Devils in the second leg, with a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Seville putting the tie on something of a knife-edge.
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