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Rasmus Højlund and Antony were spotted in training as the Manchester United squad completed their preparation for the decisive Champions League match against Galatasaray tomorrow evening.
Erik ten Hag’s men need both a victory in Turkey, as well as Bayern Munich to beat FC Copenhagen at the Allianz Arena, in order to keep their European dreams alive this season, following a dismal campaign thus far.
While United have struggled for goals domestically, they have found fewer issues scoring continentally, racking up nine goals in four games. Højlund is the joint top scorer in the entire competition, returning an impressive five goals.
Yet United find themselves languishing bottom of their group, dangerously close to an embarrassing early elimination from Europe’s premier competition.
The root cause of this unfavourable position has been calamitous defending; the type which you’d expect to see from your child’s Sunday League team, not seasoned internationals.
Eleven goals conceded in four games, including three to Galatasaray at home and four to FC Copenhagen away, tells its own story. The fact United were leading comfortably in both of these games, courtesy of Højlund’s best efforts, paints a fuller picture of their struggles this season.
All of which combines to make tomorrow’s match against Galatasaray a must-win. It is an unenviable task, however.
An away match in the cauldron which is RAMS Park constitutes one of the tougher environments for a footballer to traverse. Going there in desperate need of all three points makes it one of the toughest assignments in European football.
United have history in this exact position. In 1993, Sir Alex Ferguson took his side to Galatasaray, needing a win to stay in the Champions League. They were greeted with an iconic ‘Welcome to Hell’ sign and an intensely hostile atmosphere.
United would only end up drawing 0-0, sparking a shock exit from the competition. It is no easy task to go to RAMS Park and not fall victim to the hellish experience.
Which is why the news emanating from Carrington today of Højlund and Antony both having returned to training following absences through injury will prove a significant boost to Ten Hag.
The Danish striker had been ruled out with a suspected hamstring injury following the match against Luton, while his Brazilian team mate was reported to have picked up a knock in training.
Both were spotted back in the action this morning, however, as evidenced below.
Rasmus Hojlund + Antony both fit to return to #MUFC training ahead of Galatasaray game. pic.twitter.com/zoYzJVz29Z
— Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) November 28, 2023
Ten Hag will need both players performing at their absolute best to be able to extract the necessary result tomorrow to keep United’s Champions League hopes alive.
