Man Utd set to turn to three youngsters vs Chelsea as Ralf Rangnick juggles injury crisis

After disclosing that he is without at least six players, Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick intends to give youngsters an opportunity against Chelsea.

Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, Fred, Jadon Sancho, Luke Shaw, and Edinson Cavani are all out of Thursday’s Premier League encounter at Old Trafford, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a doubt. Rangnick has only 14 senior players, therefore United’s 18-man roster for the match against Chelsea is likely to be made up of budding teenagers.

Hannibal Mejbri, Alvaro Fernandez, and Alejandro Garnacho are all likely to start for Manchester United against Thomas Tuchel’s side. Rangnick responded when asked if young players could be selected for his team, “It’s possible, we have quite a few players missing tomorrow, one or two still with question marks.”

“I’ve played Hannibal before at Liverpool, so it’s feasible, but we have to be fair to those players.” It must be the proper time. They should have the opportunity to play and perform well, and it should be at the correct time.

“Unfortunately, Fred is not yet available; he attempted to train yesterday, and I spoke with him afterward; with a player like Fred, it doesn’t make sense to play him too soon with a muscular issue, as we would risk reinjury. Apart from that, Harry [Maguire] will be unavailable tomorrow due to knee problems. He didn’t work out yesterday or today.

“Paul, Fred, Luke Shaw, and Jadon are all out due to illness – he’s had tonsillitis since yesterday, couldn’t train today, and won’t be available tomorrow. We will aim to field the best team possible; for now, we have 14 players in our pro team and the youngsters available, and three or four guys will be included in the squad.”

United enters the game sixth in the Premier League rankings, following a 3-1 loss to Arsenal at the weekend. They are six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, and their chances of finishing in the top four are swiftly diminishing.