Manchester United will be without full-back Anna Sandberg for at least another month after Marc Skinner gave a squad update.
The Red Devils are preparing to host Atletico Madrid in their Women’s Champions League Round of 16 second leg, with United holding a decisive 3-0 aggregate lead ahead of the clash at Leigh Sports Village.
Sandberg Layoff Revealed
The Swedish defender last played for United in the first leg against Atletico, but only played 49 minutes before being replaced by Gabrielle George.
Speaking to the press ahead of their next clash with the Spanish giants, manager Marc Skinner revealed that Sandberg will be out of action for at least four weeks due to a meniscus issue. (Quotes via BBC Sport):
“There’s a little bit of a tidy up that needs to be done around Anna’s meniscus,” he said.
“From the time frame we’ve been given, the best is four, the middle is six and obviously the worst case is eight.
“If it was eight, she would probably be back three or four games before the end of the season.
“We’re hopeful we can get it to six but won’t take any risk. She’s a young player so we’ll make sure she’s rehabbed effectively.”
United will also face Atletico Madrid without Ella Toone, who Skinner believes could make a return in time for their crunch Manchester derby at home in March, with City holding an eight-point lead in the WSL table.
Numbers Thinning At Full-Back
With Anna Sandberg ruled out of their Women’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid, Marc Skinner has a slight headache on his hands as it comes to his left-back choices in this match.
Sandberg’s teammate Fridolina Rolfo missed the first leg against Rojiblancos earlier in the month and Manchester United’s subsequent game against London City Lionesses, meaning that it could be only Gabrille George available tomorrow night.
That can also prove to be a big issue for Sweden in their upcoming international matches, but with Rolfo not expected to be a long-term absence, Tony Gustavsson may be breathing a sigh of relief ahead of tough World Cup qualifying matches against Italy and Serbia.
Having all hands on deck is vital for United across the remainder of the campaign, with the Red Devils needing to be perfect across their remaining league matches and hope Manchester City stumble in order to secure their first-ever WSL title.