Maguire a Europa League final doubt for Man Utd

Harry Maguire is a potential fitness doubt for Manchester United’s Europa League final after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said his captain could miss a “few weeks” with the injury sustained against Aston Villa.

The England centre-back was visibly hurt following a challenge with Anwar El Ghazi in Sunday’s 3-1 comeback win and had to be replaced by Eric Bailly after 78 minutes.

Red Devils boss Solskjaer is waiting to learn the extent of the damage to the lower leg injury, and with the Europa League final against Villarreal scheduled for May 26, Maguire’s status for the fixture is unclear.

“Hopefully that [the final] will be okay with Harry,” Solskjaer said. “I don’t know. We need to check it. It might be a few weeks or a month – we don’t know.

“It was his calf or lower leg. I think the player landed on him and he twisted something.”

However, Solskjaer clarified that the damage may not be too bad as he waits to learn of the damage.

“I don’t know how serious it is. He might be available on Tuesday, he might not,” he added.

Here’s the latest on the #MUFC skipper, who was forced off in the second half at Villa Park.

#️#AVLMUN

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 9, 2021

Maguire had previously played every minute in the Premier League since joining from Leicester City. His run of 71 games in succession means he only tied Gary Pallister for an outfield United player in the competition – with the ex-Red Devils defender coincidentally also seeing his streak ended by injury at Villa Park in the 1995-96 season.

“Harry has been excellent and it’s almost unheard of, the minutes he’s played,” Solskjaer said. 

“His fitness is very good – he’s robust. But, today, it looked like the boy landed on him and he twisted his ankle.”

For the 10th time this season, United had to come from behind in an away league match to avoid defeat, with a Bruno Fernandes penalty and efforts from Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani cancelling out Bertrand Traore’s fine first-half strike.

Greenwood – who with 16 Premier League goals now has the most as a teenager for United, beating Wayne Rooney’s previous benchmark of 15 – hailed the character to fight back again.

“It is some achievement. We don’t really want to go behind but it gives us a little boost to come back and get the win,” he told BBC Sport.

“It was well-improved [in the second half]. Ole said his bits in the changing room. It seemed to pay off.

“To be on the main stage and scoring important goals like today, it means a lot.

“We just concentrate on ourselves, we take it game by game. We want to get as many points as we can and keep the pressure on [Manchester City].”