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What's the story?
Two of Manchester United's most important players, goalkeeper David De Gea and midfielder Paul Pogba, have been declared unfit to feature against league leaders Liverpool. The Red Devils will take on their biggest rivals at Old Trafford this weekend but they will be without the services of these two players.
In case you didn't know..
Manchester United's record signing Paul Pogba has been missing for the past few weeks due to an injury he picked up early on. He was in a race to be fit for the clash against Liverpool. The French international has missed four of United's last seven games with an ankle injury and flew to Dubai with a protective boot on recently. However, as per the Manchester Evening News, Pogba is yet to report back to the club's Carrington training complex.
On the other hand, United was handed another blow this international break when goalkeeper David De Gea was subbed of in Spain's 1-1 draw against Sweden on Tuesday night. De Gea was withdrawn on the hour mark and will now miss the weekend clash against Jurgen Klopp's side.
The heart of the matter
Despite Manchester United's hopes that Pogba and De Gea would be able to feature for them this weekend, Sky Sports have confirmed that both the players have been ruled out for United's match against their fierce rivals.
This comes as a massive blow for a team who are already languishing in the bottom half of the table and have managed to win just one out of their last five games. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under heavy pressure to deliver, and the game against Liverpool could not have come at a worse time for his team.
With Liverpool flying high and unbeaten in the top flight this season, this all important game for both the teams just got that much tougher for the home team. Other first team players such as Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan Bissaka and Luke Shaw are also in a race to regain fitness for the match. It remains to be confirmed whether they will end up making the matchday squad.
What happens next?
In De Gea's absence, Sergio Romero is expected to start in goal for the hosts. Although Liverpool have a bad record at Old Trafford this century, their current form combined with the issues at Manchester United and the absence of these two players make them clear favourites to emerge victorious from this game.
