Manchester United will welcome Southampton to Old Trafford this weekend as Erik ten Hag eyes a return to winning ways in the Premier League, having recorded a comfortable 4-1 victory over Real Betis earlier this week.
United will be motivated to build on the response they gave to that embarrassing defeat at Anfield last season but Southampton, who have sacked two managers this season, are finding their form ahead of the trip.
Southampton have won two of their last three Premier League games as they continue to fight for their survival in the division but their most recent win, a 1-0 home win over Leicester, came at a price.
Carlos Alcaraz, one of the driving forces behind their recent resurrection, scored the winning goal in that game but the forward sustained an injury celebrating the strike.
Speaking ahead of the game, manager Ruben Selles admitted that Alcaraz is touch and go for the game, with no clear timeline put on his return to the pitch going into the trip to Old Trafford.
“It was the emotion of the moment,” Selles is quoted as saying by the BBC when asked about Alcaraz’s celebratory knee slide.
“You know they are young players and they need to learn those situations. He has been feeling a little bit guilty, but let’s see if he can make it or not [to the Manchester United game].”
“If he is not fit for the game, he will for the midweek game against Brentford. I say many times, we are learning together and that is learning for him.”
United are currently seven points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool and Ten Hag will be keen to maintain that gap as the Reds are still competing on three fronts.
