Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that defender Jonny Evans will be sidelined for the Premier League clash against Luton Town on Saturday.
The Red Devils suffered their ninth defeat of the campaign on Wednesday night. They were beaten 4-3 on the road to Copenhagen in the Champions League after an unfortunate red card for Marcus Rashford.
Ten Hag will want his club to refocus for Luton’s visit of Old Trafford and ahead of the game, the Dutchman has confirmed that Evans won’t play any part.
The Northern Irishman has partnered Harry Maguire in the heart of the defence for the past few games, but won’t be involved after his muscle injury in midweek.
He told Manutd.com: “So we don’t, in this moment, have a full assessment done. We didn’t finish it, we don’t have the details so far, but for tomorrow he’s out.”
Evans’ injury opens the door for Raphael Varane
Raphael Varane has been a surprise candidate on the bench for the past few games with Ten Hag tending to prefer the combination of Maguire and Evans.
The Dutchman has looked to play Maguire from the right centre-back role, but there could be a positional switch in order to accommodate Varane.
The World Cup winner was far from his best after replacing Evans off the bench in midweek, but he has the chance to redeem himself with the untimely injury blow.
It remains to be seen who will start alongside Maguire. Varane is our preferred choice but Ten Hag could spring up a surprise by opting for Victor Lindelof instead.
Either way, Ten Hag will expect nothing less than three points against a struggling Luton Town outfit ahead of the final international break of the calendar year.
