Martin Dubravka will be subjected to additional tests at Manchester United’s Carrington headquarters after being forced to return from the Slovakia camp with an injury.
Manchester United now have another injury concern to deal with after Martin Dubravka opted out of Slovakia’s international duty.
The 33-year-old goalkeeper joined the Red Devils on loan from Newcastle this summer in a £2 million deal that will become permanent for £6 million depending on how many appearances he makes this season. He has yet to make his debut for Erik ten Hag’s side and was notably absent from the squad that defeated Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 in the Europa League last week.
It’s unclear whether Dubravka’s absence was due to injury, but he was able to rejoin his international teammates earlier this week. His time with Slovakia has been cut short due to an injury in training, and he will return to United’s Carrington base for further evaluation.
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Dubravka started all three of his country’s Euro 2020 matches last summer, and his latest injury will keep him out of their Nations League games against Azerbaijan on Thursday and Belarus on Sunday. It may also leave Ten Hag with fewer options between the posts when the international break concludes and United travels to local rivals and defending Premier League champions Manchester City.
David de Gea started against Sheriff, and Tom Heaton was his experienced back-up on the bench, while Radek Vitek, 18, was also named to the squad in Dubravka’s absence. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Brandon Williams, and Facundo Pellistri are among Ten Hag’s other injury concerns.
Rashford could return to action in the Manchester derby after suffering a thigh injury in early September’s 3-1 win over Arsenal. More uncertainty surrounds fellow forward Anthony Martial, who is still recovering from an Achilles injury that has kept him in the physio room since August.
Winger Pellistri is also recovering from a foot injury, and Van de Beek is expected to be fit when the Premier League resumes in just over a week, with United visiting the Etihad in the first of two games on Sunday, October 2nd.
The Red Devils are in good form heading into their clash with City, having won their last four domestic games before the Queen’s death forced the postponement of games against Crystal Palace and Leeds.
This winning streak is a significant improvement after Ten Hag’s team was defeated 2-1 by Brighton and thrashed 4-0 by Brentford in their first two league games. Meanwhile, on the continental stage, United bounced back from a 1-0 loss at home to Real Sociedad by winning their first Europa League game against Sheriff.
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