Ruud van Nistelrooy hints at Manchester United injury boosts ahead of PAOK fixture
Man United's substitutes bench had a very youthful look to it against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
Caretaker manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is hopeful Manchester United will recover some of their injured players ahead of their clashes with PAOK and Leicester City this week.
For the second game running, Van Nistelrooy was forced into naming a crop of youngsters on the bench for Sunday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Just as they did against Leicester in the Carabao Cup last Wednesday evening, Harry Amass, Jayce Fitzgerald, Jack Fletcher and Ethan Wheatley all secured places on the bench, meaning Van Nistelrooy was light on experienced options to turn to.
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United lost Christian Eriksen in the build up to the 5-2 win over Leicester and he was absent once again on Sunday. Other midfield absences currently include Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Toby Collyer.
Van Nistelrooy admits United are currently stretched in midfield, but he has refused to rule out the prospect of receiving a much-needed boost this week, with PAOK scheduled to visit Old Trafford in the Europa League on Thursday evening and Leicester due in M16 on Sunday in the Premier League.
"No, we were thin," said Van Nistelrooy, speaking to MUTV post-match on Sunday. "We had some young lads on the bench who are very talented and will be very important for the future.
"As you say we are thin, especially in midfield. We had no midfielders on the bench, but we hope we can bring some back for the coming week so we can have more options from the bench."
Van Nistelrooy only used three of his five substitutions against Chelsea, calling on Victor Lindelof, Joshua Zirkzee and Amad. The latter was the first of the trio to step off the bench, replacing Marcus Rashford with 73 minutes on the clock.
