Manchester United have confirmed that Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw all returned to training on Tuesday, despite earlier doubts about playing again this season.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick had feared that Sancho’s season could be over because of a nasty case of tonsillitis, while Shaw was in the same boat after he underwent surgery to remove some metal pins from his leg. Rashford, meanwhile, missed the 4-0 defeat to Brighton due to bronchitis.
Ahead of the final day of the season, on which United will travel to Crystal Palace needing a victory to avoid dropping out of the Europa League spots, the trio all returned to training and are expected to be available to Rangnick for his final selection.
Harry Maguire, Fred and Edinson Cavani were also involved and are said to be coping well after their own returns from injury, while Eric Bailly continues to work after suffering a back injury.
Rangnick will be keen to have his best squad available to him for a game which could have enormous repercussions for United’s future.
The Red Devils currently sit sixth in the Premier League table and can finish no higher than that, but anything other than victory over Palace on Sunday would open the door for West Ham to replace them in the final Europa League spot and relegate them to the Europa Conference League.
Listen now to 90min’s Manchester United podcast, The Promised Land, with Scott Saunders & Rob Blanchette. On this week’s show they discuss the latest news surrounding the club including a discussion regarding Ten Hag’s arrival and his Ronaldo hint.
The Hammers are two points behind and boast a vastly superior goal difference to United, and they end the season with a trip to tenth-placed Brighton.
For United, victory would guarantee them a spot in the Europa League, but they’ll have to overcome a Palace side who have lost just three times in their last ten games – a run which includes a draw with Manchester City and a 3-0 win over Arsenal.
New permanent manager Erik ten Hag has already arrived in Manchester to start work after effectively ending his contract with Ajax slightly earlier than expected. But Rangnick will remain in charge of the team for the trip to Selhurst Park.
