Man Utd star Harry Maguire positive he WILL play in Europa League final as Solskjaer gives update on ankle injury
HARRY MAGUIRE is positive that he will make the Europa League final.
Maguire is on crutches and wearing a protective boot after damaging ankle ligaments just over a week ago against Aston Villa.
It left manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fearing the worst ahead of the final against Villarreal in Gdansk a week on Wednesday.
But the latest update has been more positive and Solskjaer says he will give his captain right up until the last minute to prove his fitness.
Solskjaer said: “When I spoke to him this morning he was positive.
“Naturally the day after he was injured everyone was very down.
“But we decided we had to focus and be positive and think he is going to make it.
“He is making progress but we have consciously made the decision not to test him out too early.
“Hopefully we will have good news but I will give it as long as possible because we know his importance.
“We have known that for a long time but maybe people appreciate it more when he is not playing.
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“I became a very good player when I was injured because people realised what I could do as a sub and what I was as a player.”
Man Utd have conceded six goals in two games since Maguire’s injury, losing to both Leicester and Liverpool.
When he went off in the 78th minute against Villa it was the first time he had missed any minutes in the Premier League for United since signing in the summer of 2019.
Solskjaer has league games against Fulham at home on Tuesday and then away to Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season before he decides on his Europa League final team.
And he has acknowledged what Sir Alex Ferguson had to go through when making tough calls for big games.
Solskjaer said: “It is always difficult. You want everyone to get the experience but then you have to pick 11.
“It’s horrible to make those decisions but it can mean a lot. This is my role and responsibility. I only want to do my best.
“That's just the perks or nature of this job that you have to make some tough decisions and you have to stand by them and we've still got a couple of games left in the league to finalise what the 11 in the final will be.
“You'll have to sit down, of course, individually, and I remember Sir Alex sat me down, he came to my hotel room to explain why I didn't play the Champions League semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen and we sat there for 45 minutes, we had a good conversation and I still felt I had a contribution to make and that I was important in his team.
“All my players they know that that they have been important for us this season. We couldn't get to a final and second place in the league without everyone's contribution every day because that's the culture we are in.”
United’s last game against Liverpool was their third in five days which left both the manager and players unhappy with the rescheduling.
Midfielder Scott McTominay said: “The fixtures have been a shambles. But the way we have approached it is to push through as a group and hopefully we will get our reward.”
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Tuesday’s game with Fulham will be United’s first in front of fans since March 8 last year when McTominay scored the second in a 2-0 win against cross-town rivals Manchester City.
And the Scot added: “That day was special. We have been desperate for that feeling, that adrenaline with people inside the stadium enjoying football again.”
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