Manchester United are preparing to face Wolves in the Premier League, but both teams will be without several key players. The two teams last met just a few weeks ago at Molineux, where Ruben Amorim’s side won 4-1 thanks to a Bruno Fernandes double and goals from Brian Mbeumo and Mason Mount.
The Red Devils currently sit in 6th place in the league table, with only three points separating them from the top four. On the other hand, Wolves are languishing at the bottom of the table, without a win in their last 18 games. Their most recent defeat was a 2-1 loss to Liverpool last weekend.
Amorim hopes his side can continue their winning momentum this week following their win over Newcastle on Boxing Day, in which Patrick Dorg scored the only goal of the game. But United’s head coach will have to plan without some of Rob Edwards’s star players.
Captain Fernandes remains sidelined after sustaining a hamstring injury against Aston Villa earlier this month. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Amorim revealed that the midfielder is keen to return to training at Carrington but is likely to be sidelined for a few more weeks.
United are also uncertain about the fitness of Mason Mount, who was taken off the pitch against Newcastle. It remains to be seen whether he is fit enough to play against the Wolves.
Koby Mainoo, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt have all been ruled out of recent matches through injury, and Amorim admitted he does not expect any of them to be fit for the next game. Mainu, in particular, is expected to resume training this week, with the game against Leeds at the weekend being the most likely time for him to return.
In addition to his injury problems, Amorim has also suffered from several absences due to the African Cup of Nations. Nousser Mazraoui, Amad and Mbeumou will form United’s trio who will represent their countries at next month’s tournament in Morocco.
From a Wolves perspective, defender Rodrygo Gomez underwent surgery on a groin injury last month and is not expected to return until February. Toti Gomez is dealing with a hamstring problem and will be sidelined until the new year.
Jean-Richner Bellegarde has been sidelined with illness but is expected to return in early 2026, while Martial Munetsi is working on his return from a calf injury.
Leon Chiwome has been out of action since January due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and it is unclear when he will return. Apart from injuries, Edwards will be without Emmanuel Agbadu for the Africa Cup of Nations, while midfielder Andre is set to receive a one-match suspension for accumulating yellow cards.
