Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that he is expecting to have "a similar squad" available for Saturday's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest as he had against Aston Villa.
Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Victor Lindelof, Casemiro, Amad Diallo, Harry Maguire and Anthony Martial were all absent against Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Luke Shaw and Sofyan Amrabat missed the 3-2 win at Old Trafford due to minor fitness problems.
Ten Hag has not revealed whether Shaw or Amrabat will be able to return against Forest, but he said that the squad will be "similar" to the one that was available against Villa.
"So, it will be a similar squad as we had against Villa," he said during Friday's press conference before opening up on the challenge that Forest could provide under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
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"You see with them [Forest], the reaction when the new manager is coming in, you see the spirit. We have to be ready for that and it's always about us, but be aware of it. They have the right spirit, and they built the confidence but we did as well, so we have to continue in the performance."
Ten Hag also confirmed that he is expecting to have the likes of Mount, Casemiro, Martinez, Malacia and Maguire back by the middle of January, suggesting that they could be involved against Tottenham Hotspur in the middle of next month.
However, returns against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league on February 1 are more realistic.
"I think in mid-January, we expect many players back, Mason [Mount], Casemiro, [Lisandro] Martinez, [Tyrell] Malacia. So, we expect Harry Maguire [back] of course. We expect many players to return in January," he said.
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Ten Hag also said that Tuesday's comeback victory over Villa demonstrated the team's character.
"Also, that's about us, so we proved despite all the setbacks - not any team can deal with so many setbacks we have had. So the number of points we are not satisfied [with]," he added on Friday.
"But when we have all the players back, this squad is strong and we proved it against Arsenal, against Liverpool, against Villa who are number one, two and three in the league.
"We went head-to-head and we could have won all the games. We didn't, but definitely in the last game our side proved it. We showed how hungry we are, [we showed] determination. [With] the right mentality, we can beat anyone."
Man United are currently seventh in the Premier League table, six points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who still have a game in hand due to their involvement in the Club World Cup.
Matt Law
