Here are the Manchester United evening headlines for Thursday, September 17.
Pogba and Tuanzebe fitness update ahead of Premier League opener
Paul Pogba remains a doubt for United’s first match of the Premier League season against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Frenchman is back in training after recovering from coronavirus but missed last weekend’s pre-season friendly with Aston Villa.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that Pogba faces a race to be fit for the opening game of United’s campaign.
Axel Tuanzebe, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the Palace game and his return is still expected to be a few weeks away.
The 22-year-old has made progress in his recovery after undergoing an operation last season, and there is hope that he will be back in contention for a place in the first team soon.
For Mason Greenwood, there should be no issues following his return to training after breaking Covid-19 protocols while on England duty. The youngster is expected to be involved in some capacity against Palace.
Teenager Mengi promoted to first team
Teden Mengi has made the step up into United’s first team after impressing during pre-season.
The 18-year-old centre-back was part of the team that played against Villa last weekend and had been training with Solskjaer’s first team.
He also started as United’s Under-21s thrashed Salford 6-0 in the EFL Trophy last week.
Mengi’s promotion comes amid speculation over the futures of defenders Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo, who have both been training away from the rest of the squad.
Tuanzebe and Phil Jones, meanwhile, are both out with injuries, so Mengi has been given an opportunity to further his development.
“You’ve got to make sure he’s ready for it,” Solskjaer said of the youngster last week. “You see examples of Ajax, who play in a different league but Matthijs de Ligt, they made him captain when he was 18. You can see something special in them.
“Teden’s got something special in him. It’s about picking the right moment to give him a chance.”
Van der Sar backs De Gea to keep his place despite Henderson competition
Former United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has claimed David de Gea should still be Solskjaer's No.1 this season.
The Red Devils face a dilemma in the position following the return of Dean Henderson from Sheffield United.
The 23-year-old impressed with the Blades, while De Gea’s form dropped off during the 2019-20 campaign.
But Van der Sar has insisted the Spaniard can still be a “force” for the club if he rediscovers his form.
“Of course David has been fantastic,“ he told MUTV Group Chat. ”The moment he took over [from me] he has the Player of the Year [Award] many times and he’s been amazing for the club.
“Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] will take a look at how the competition in the team is and which goalkeeper works best with the defence.
“To be fair, I was quite impressed with Dean’s rise with Sheffield, but David has been great for United. He has made some mistakes but I’ve made them myself also, every player makes mistakes.”
