Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that Luke Shaw and Fred are both doubts for Wednesday's FA Cup fifth-round contest with West Ham United.
Just three days on from their EFL Cup final success over Newcastle United, the 20-time English champions will switch their attention to the other major cup competition in English football.
Man United have played a lot of football in 2023, and the volume of matches will not slow down over the next few weeks, as they prepare to take on Real Betis in the last-16 stage of the Europa League.
The Red Devils will be back in Premier League action against Liverpool this weekend, meanwhile, with the club looking to strengthen their grip on a top-four spot in the table.
Ten Hag revealed during his press conference ahead of the West Ham match that Anthony Martial would again be unavailable for selection due to a hip problem.
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Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek are long-term absentees, while Mason Greenwood is still not being considered for selection.
Ten Hag also said that both Shaw and Fred had emerged as doubts for the contest at Old Trafford.
"Anthony Martial is not available and Luke Shaw and Fred are questions for tomorrow," said the Dutchman when asked how his squad was shaping up following the EFL Cup final.
Shaw played the full 90 minutes of Sunday's 2-0 win over Newcastle, while Fred featured for 69 minutes before being replaced by on-loan Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.
Tyrell Malacia is likely to be on standby to replace Shaw in the XI against West Ham, while Sabitzer or Scott McTominay could come in for Fred if the Brazilian is ruled out of the game with the Hammers.
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Ten Hag also insisted that his squad had now settled and were "back to work" after initially celebrating what was Man United's first trophy in six years.
"Of course, yesterday, the players were still enthusiastic, and they had to celebrate this momentum, but yesterday, after we settled down, we get back to work. What we had to do was recovery and the ones who played less did a good training session," he added.
Meanwhile, when asked about Sunday's trip to Liverpool, Ten Hag responded: "I think every game is important and every game until now, this dressing room has the right attitude and the right approach they take, game by game. Not looking ahead. You said it's the biggest game, but Barcelona is it not a big game?!"
Man United have not lost at Old Trafford in any competition since the start of September, while they beat West Ham 1-0 in the Premier League in Manchester at the end of October.
Matt Law
