‘Very hopeful’: Ten Hag provides fitness updates on three long-term absentees including £55m signing

Erik ten Hag provided updates on sidelined Manchester United trio Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof.

Mount has endured an underwhelming and injury-stricken Old Trafford career since making his £55 million switch from Chelsea last summer, having only made eight Premier League appearances as a Red thus far.

Meanwhile, United’s backline is perhaps the area most affected by this season’s debilitating fitness crisis as almost every defender has missed at least one match. Malacia has been nursing a knee complaint that he sustained on the final day of the 2022/2023 league campaign, which has kept him out of action for the entirety of this term.

The Netherlands international was forced to undergo a second operation to correct the problem in December, pushing his return back even further as he began rehabilitation again.

Lindelof, 29, has been absent since United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea in December and Ten Hag later confirmed that the centre-back was also made to have surgery on a minor groin issue.

Ten Hag’s injury briefing

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s trip to the Molineux, the manager was asked how his squad was shaping up for their return to league action.

“So, very hopeful,” he responded, as cited by ManUtd.com. “We have some players back. We have seen on Sunday, returning [were] Licha Martinez, Luke Shaw, Casemiro, which is very good.

“Also, Victor Lindelof is back into training, team training, and others, like Tyrell Malacia and Mason Mount, they are on the grass. Not ready but I don’t think it takes long.

“The good thing is we have a strong squad and can now pick. That is the difference with many games in the autumn, in 2023, in the period we had only 11 or 12 players. That was a challenge, every time, to put 11 players on the pitch, but now we can pick a team.”