Man Utd boss gains key fitness boost for Liverpool clash but reveals injuries to key duo

Erik Ten Hag has given fans the latest update on his squad ahead of their clash with Liverpool this weekend.

Manchester United had plenty of injury doubts coming into the game at the weekend and they were struck with a double blow during the week as both Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire came off during the 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Ten Hag confirmed that Maguire is out of the game but he revealed that Shaw trained today and will be available to start. That means the likely centre-back pairing will be one of Luke Shaw/Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans/Shaw or Evans/Varane at Anfield.

At the other end of the pitch, United will be welcoming back Marcus Rashford who missed out during the defeat against Munich. However, he has struggled for form all season having netted just twice in 20 games in all competitions to date. Another player who missed out in the week was Anthony Martial but he won't be available.

While there is some good news for Ten Hag, he is still missing a number of key figures for the weekend's game with captain Bruno Fernandes also out of action due to a suspension. Also missing are Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho and Mason Mount - and there's also a doubt over Victor Lindelof who has missed the last two games.

For Jurgen Klopp, he has fewer injuries to deal with but the six injured players are all important figures. The long-term injuries include Stefan Bajcetic (calf) Andy Robertson (shoulder) Joel Matip (knee), Thiago (hip) and Diogo Jota (muscle injury) that are big misses for the Reds.

Their latest casualty is Alexis Mac Allister who came off during the win over Sheffield United on December 6. Speaking at his pre-Union SG press conference, Klopp said of the midfielder: “I am obviously not a doctor but they explain it to me pretty much every day why he is not ready yet and it is obviously a bit more tricky than we thought in the first moment.

“The other boy stepped on his knee and the stud went through pretty much the muscle onto the bone. And now we have to wait until the bone is healed and until Macca can deal with the pain, because it is pretty painful."

United haven't beaten Liverpool since 2016 but the game involving England's two most successful clubs is always a huge encounter, regardless of form. However, Klopp's side have won four of their last five in the league, scoring 21 times in what has been a dominant few years.