Centre-forward Cavani is likely to be sidelined against Manchester City, while manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes centre-back Lindelof can play in Saturday's Manchester derby. On Tuesday, the Swedish Iceman missed the Champions League away to Atalanta due to an injury in training, but as Sweden's captain, he was selected for next week's World Preliminary Tournament against Georgia and Spain, indicating that the injury is not serious.
Because Varane was injured and confirmed to be absent, if United were to play three centre-backs, Lindelev would need to return from injury. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: "Now that we have so much technology, we have scanned to determine that he needs to be out for four or five weeks, which is a big blow for us. Rafael (Varane) has been very, very influential since joining, but Eric (Bai) has been very good in his last appearance. That's why we have a strong squad and are able to cope with the absence of players."
In the case of Lindlev, the boss admitted that he was in doubt about his participation. "Lindlev?" He's still unknown, but hopefully he'll be back tomorrow and say he's ready. Put it this way, I hope he'll be able to compete, but I can't promise you."
Lindlof did not show up at the Laurie Hotel Manchester on Friday, where he stayed before the Manchester League, but that didn't mean he couldn't play, as the tournament took place in Manchester City, so players could join the team and compete before the tournament, even if they weren't in the squad.
But another news that worried Manchester United fans came that Uruguayan striker Cavani not only did not stay at the hotel, but was also confirmed to be injured, and it was very likely that he would not be able to participate in the derby against Manchester City.
Cavani, 34, was not named to Uruguay's world qualifiers against Argentina and Bolivia this month, citing "medical reasons". Since joining the united striker, he has been plagued by injuries and illnesses. According to the British "Manchester Evening News", Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recruited fast horse youngster Anthony Erlanga, which means that Cavani's absence is almost a foregone conclusion.
According to Uruguayan journalist Rodrigo Romano, Cavani has suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury in the past two days of training, and the pain is unbearable, and he can only be forced to give up the match against Manchester City. 'He was already in pain in the 80th minute of the game against Tottenham, and although he finished the game, his injury worsened and he was unable to start at Atalanta afterwards. Romano added, "He is being treated but he can't play against Manchester City, stressing that tomorrow he can't play."
It is worth mentioning that The Manchester United star Marcus Rashford did not appear at the hotel, but neither Ole Gunnar Solskjaer nor the British media mentioned that he was injured, so he may have just not arrived with the whole team for some reason, but went to the hotel alone.
The data shows that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a slight advantage over Pep Guardiola with 4 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats, and the last 4 Premier League derbys remain unbeaten. The Manchester derby was also United's first home game after a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, with the boss saying the team had come out of the shadows: "After the double reds, we have moved on. Of course, that game will go down in history, but we had a great week, with good results away from home, a tough game process and a positive mindset. The derby was a special game, and the atmosphere in the last derby with the support of the fans was very warm, and I think everyone will remember. I think the memory of that 2-0 game is probably more profound than any dark moment United has experienced."
"Scott (McTomine) scored in stoppage time, it was a special moment. But this time it's another game and you have to be proactive and ready, because the outcome of the game depends a lot on who has the advantage. Our team is very close, they know they need each other, and this week the whole team had a dinner, it's team networking, collective spirit is important. We have a great canteen in Carrington but they may have grown tired of Mike's (Manchester United chef)'s food!"
Manchester United vs Manchester City squad: De Gea, Dean Henderson, Tom Heaton; Wan Bissaka, Diogu Dalo, Maguire, Bai, Luke Shaw, Tres; McTomine, Fred, Matic, van der Beek, Bruno Fernandes, Mata, Lingard; Sancho, Ronaldo, Martial, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Erlanga, Rashford.