Manchester United handed boost as three players set to return for Everton visit | OneFootball

Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro and Christian Eriksen return as Manchester United head to Everton on the back of a positive week that left Ruben Amorim even impressed by the “sound” of training.

A mixture of injuries and illness hit the Red Devils hard in the build-up to last Sunday’s trip to Tottenham, where a 1-0 defeat left the side languishing 15th in the Premier League standings.

United return to action at Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime, when summer signing Ugarte will return after a knock as defender Yoro and midfielder Eriksen rejoin the squad following illness.

Amorim suggested at Spurs that the latter required extra caution having suffered a cardiac arrest in 2021, but was at pains to clear up his comments.

“We didn’t lose players, we recover players,” he said in the build-up to facing Everton. “Chris, Manu and Leny return.

“With Chris (last week) it was a misunderstanding and I want to be really clear on that, also because of Chris. He’s healthy and is ready to play for many years in a high level.

“Just my limitation explaining the injuries, and I want to make this really clear.

“I felt that the week is really good. I see things in training, but sometimes it’s hard to pass that to the game, but I feel that they are improving.

“Sometimes we cannot show that in the game, but I hope that tomorrow is another opportunity to show a better performance.”

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Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo are out for the foreseeable future, while Amorim says Altay Bayindir, Mason Mount, Tom Heaton and Luke Shaw continue their return to fitness.

Toby Collyer is closing in on a return after a week that saw the United players go out for a team-bonding meal, which complemented a week of training that the boss liked the look and sound of.

“For me, it’s more important in training,” Amorim said of the team connecting. “And what I see in training is that they are improving, they are creating relationships. Even the sound of the training is different.

“But like I said, we have to use that in the game and we have to see it in the game, and we have to take that step.

“I feel it in training that we are bonding and we are understanding the way we want to play. But then in the game, I feel that we struggle a lot.”

Asked what he meant with the “sound” comment, Amorim said: “The sound is like when you are in practice, when you are just making an exercise, you feel the sound.

“People are talking, asking for the ball, giving directions, talking with each other, and you can feel it in the environment.

“If you spend your life as a football player and as a coach, even the sound of the training is important, so I feel that we are changing that.

“But, again, everything resumes to the game on Sunday or Saturday or whatever, so it’s important to use that in the game.”