HARRY MAGUIRE is now looking a major doubt for Manchester United’s Europa League final and the Euros due to his ankle ligament injury.
The normally optimistic Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is finally starting to admit defeat in his bid to get the captain ready for the showdown in Gdansk against Villarreal.
And if he can’t make that then England boss Gareth Southgate may have to forget about him for the Euros too next month.
Solskjaer said: “The good news is it wasn’t broken, there was no fracture, but a ligament injury is serious.
“If I’m very positive that is maybe stretching it, I’m hopeful he might be ready for it.
“I don’t think he’ll play in the league again but we’ll do everything we can to get him ready for the final.
“You always try to look after players long-term, if he’s fit he’ll play for us, if he’s not, he won’t.
“We’re hopeful he’s ready and if he’s ready for us he’ll be ready for the Euros.”
Without his home country in the finals however, it is not a competition Solskjaer is that bothered about.
He said: “Norway’s not in the Euros, I’m not really that concerned.”
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Maguire had played every Premier League minute since joining United in the summer of 2019 before limping off at Villa Park last Sunday.
Anwar El Ghazi landed awkwardly on him and Maguire twisted his ankle limping off in the 78th minute.
A scan showed ligament damage and he watched on from the stands on Tuesday night as United went down 2-1 to Leicester City with a protective boot around his left lower leg.
Solskjaer made ten changes for that game due to a fixture pile-up but will be at full strength for the visit of Liverpool tomorrow.
He wants to finish with a flourish in their final three games before heading to Gdansk for the Europa League final.
He said: “There’ll be changes, of course, but many of the players that played did really well, so they’re in contention as well.
“It’s about managing the squad now, building momentum and confidence, making sure we get enough points to get second and then going into the final confident.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
