Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has ruled Jonny Evans out of Saturday's Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest, with the experienced defender yet to return to training.
Evans penned a 12-month extension to his contract over the summer, and he has again been an important player for the Red Devils during the 2024-25 campaign, featuring on 11 occasions in all competitions.
The 36-year-old has missed Man United's last two matches with an unspecified issue, though, and Amorim said during his press conference on Friday that the centre-back would again be missing against Forest.
Victor Lindelof is back in training, with the defender recovering from the groin problem that he suffered while representing Sweden during the November international break, but the 30-year-old will also be absent on Saturday.
"Jonny is still not training, Victor has returned to training but isn't available for tomorrow, maybe in the next game he will be available," Amorim told reporters when questioned on the current injury situation.
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Evans, Lindelof to miss out for Man United vs. Forest
Luke Shaw is also again on the sidelines due to a hamstring problem, but Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo will be back in the squad after sitting out the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday night due to suspensions.
Man United have not suffered any fresh fitness concerns, meaning that Amorim will once again have a strong squad to choose from against Forest, as the Red Devils look to return to winning ways.
The midweek results have seen Man United drop down into 13th position in the Premier League table, and Amorim addressed his side's spot in the division on Friday.
"It's sad because it's a very competitive league, it can change with just one result. We have to pass this phase, so i feel the same way, because before the Arsenal game you guys were asking about the top four and now we return to this position (13th). We have to remain calm and keep on doing the job we're doing," said the manager.
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Amorim confident Man United 'are improving'
Amorim also insisted that he is seeing signs of improvement from Man United, but the Portuguese stressed that there is a long way to go before the players fully understand how to operate in his 3-4-3 system.
"It's really hard, i learn the same with wins because I focus on the performance. We won 4-0 against Everton but I saw so many things that were wrong. I saw the same against Arsenal," he added.
"We need time to think about things. We don't have much time to train and have to prepare for the next opponent, but when I see the team, I think we're improving in some aspects.
"If you see nowadays, in one week you have three games and that can change the image of the team, the perception of the team and the team in the table. You can change a lot in one week. It's like that. We need to have consistency in how we focus on the job in training. You don't control the result but you feel you have to win three matches to see a big gap in the table."
Man United are seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the table, and they will be bidding to record just their sixth league victory of the season when they welcome Forest this weekend.
Matt Law
