Manchester United boss Ralph Rangnick confirmed two absences ahead of their trip to Liverpool on Tuesday. The German is worried.
Liverpool are through to the FA Cup final but the big games don’t stop here. Next up is Manchester United at Anfield – one of the biggest games of the season, no matter what’s happening.
Liverpool need a win, of course, as they do for every remaining game. There are still three trophies to claim and keeping the pressure on Manchester City is a must.
United harbour top-four dreams, too, and sit just three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur as things stand. They very much need to keep the pressure on there, too.
And so they’ve suffered a real blow ahead of the Anfield clash. Manager Ralph Rangnick confirmed earlier today that both Fred and Scott McTominay will miss the game, with Raphael Varane a doubt.
Liverpool vs Manchester United
Both sides go into this game on the back of 3-2 wins. Liverpool against Premier League leaders Manchester City, United against Premier League bottom side Norwich City.
Cristiano Ronaldo carried his side to a win there, bagging a hattrick to saved United. Combine that with the injuries and, unsurprisingly, Rangnik is worried.
“If we play like we did today, it will be very, very difficult to get even a point,” he said, per journalist David Lynch.
We actually wrote back in November that this could be the best North West derby in years. Rangnick had just arrived at Old Trafford, promising an improvement in their pressing and attitude. It would be a stark difference to the all-out defence United have persisted with against Liverpool under José Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But it’s unclear how these injuries will affect things. Rangnick doesn’t exactly sound confident going to Anfield and we do wonder if he’ll play for a point. Missing the only high-energy players he has in the middle will surely hurt his plan.
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