Man United handed injury boost ahead of Villa but one player suffers setback

CommentsSportTyrone Marshall Senior Manchester Football Writer15:23, 11 Mar 2026Manchester United are set to have Noussair Mazraoui available to face Aston Villa on Sunday after he returned to training on Wednesday, but Lisandro Martinez is set to miss the crucial game.

Mazraoui limped out of United's defeat to Newcastle a week ago, sparking fears he could be set for a spell on the sidelines. The Moroccan was making his first start for the club in almost three months at St James' Park.

He came into the side for Diogo Dalot but had to be replaced by Tyrell Malacia on 85 minutes. That sparked fears that Mazraoui could face a fitness battle for the Old Trafford clash with Villa when third plays fourth.

But the 28-year-old trained at Carrington on Wednesday and is set to give Michael Carrick a boost by being available to face Unai Emery's side.

It isn't all good news for Carrick, however, with Martinez's calf injury taking longer than expected to recover from and the Argentine centre-back is yet to resume full training after a setback.

Martinez was only expected to miss one game when he initially picked up the problem in training, but the game with Villa is now set to be a fourth successive match that he will be absent for as his rotten luck with injuries continues.

Carrick will hold his pre-match press conference on Friday, during which he will provide a fitness update on his squad. Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount are also still on the sidelines.

De Ligt hasn't played since the end of November as he battles a back injury, while Mount has missed six games after picking up what was initially described as a minor injury. Dorgu has been out injured since limping off in the win over Arsenal in late January.