Manchester United boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has defended Paul Pogba and says he will be ‘like a new signing’ when he returns from injury
Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is pushing to play after missing the trip to Sheffield United with an ankle complaint and will be assessed ahead of Sunday – a match
Solskjaer says Pogba will not be available following an ankle injury. Luke Shaw, Lee Grant, Jesse Lingard and Axel Tuanzebe built fitness by playing 90 minutes as United lost 2-1 to Astana on Thursday, when the remainder of the senior squad stayed at home ahead of facing Villa. Nemanja Matic, Eric Bailly, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Diogo Dalot continue to build fitness after injury.
Aston Villa defender Bjorn Engels is in contention after been out of action since the start of November with a hip injury, but has trained all week and is available for selection after admitting he did not feel ready for Monday night’s victory over Newcastle.
Midfielder Jota is also back in training after a hernia problem, but is short of match fitness, while striker Keinan Davis is due to resume jogging on Monday and is two to three weeks away from a return. Keeper Jed Steer (Achilles) is expected to be sidelined for four months.
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Stat of the match: Manchester United have won 34 Premier League games against Aston Villa – the only team to win more against a specific opponent in the competition are Man Utd themselves, with 36 wins against Everton.