When Manchester United travel to West Ham on Sunday, they’ll do so in a very injury-riddled state. And yesterday saw the Red Devils add another player to their list of walking wounded. Antony, who has underperformed to expectations, to say the least, had to be stretchered off in the score draw at Fenerbahce.
“It’s really unlucky for him,” United manager Erik ten Hag said of Antony, and his muscle injury in the ankle/foot area.
Manchester United at West Ham United FYIs
Starting XI Predictions: United West Ham
Kickoff: Sun Oct 27, 2024, London Stadium, 3pm
Key Stat: West Ham have not done well, historically, in this series, winning 48 times to United’s 74 triumphs. The two sides have stalemated 32 times.
Google Result Probability: United win 42% Draw 25% West Ham win 33%
“I feel real compassion for him, when he worked so hard in training. When you have to come off so quickly, that is really sad to see. Hopefully, it’s not too bad – we have to wait 24 hours for what the assessment is.”
Ten Hag is excited to get Bruno Fernandes back from suspension and possibly Jonny Evans back from injury. “We expect, of course, Bruno (Fernandes) back and, hopefully, also Jonny Evans,” he said.
Finally, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw remain out.
West Ham Team News
Very little to say here, as of course Nicklas Fullkrug remains out and Mohammed Kudus is suspended.
As Julen Lopetegui said, the last time he discussed Fullkrug: “The problem is that Niclas had one minor injury at the start, but there’s been a bit of a complication, and we are waiting for him to recover. It’s true that we thought he would be out for two weeks maximum, but it’s been a month and a half. Hopefully, he will be ready for the next matches, but right now, he is out.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.