'A tough moment' - Manchester United confirm fresh injury scare ahead of Real Sociedad fixture

Manchester United are sweating over the fitness of Harry Maguire ahead of their Europa League tie with Real Sociedad later this week. There is even more importance on United's European campaign after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Fulham, a defeat that also took its toll on the players.

United were without 10 senior stars for the penalty shootout defeat on Sunday evening, as Patrick Dorgu served the first of his three-match domestic suspension and nine players missed the match due to injury. Ruben Amorim only named seven substitutes out of a possible nine for the clash, including two goalkeepers who have never made a competitive appearance for the club before.

Dorgu will be available when United travel to Spain in midweek, though there could be another player missing from the squad after Maguire suffered an issue in the weekend clash with Fulham.

Manchester United suffer Harry Maguire injury scare

Manchester United were dealt a fresh injury scare when Harry Maguire was forced off during their gruelling penalty shootout defeat to Fulham on Sunday. The 31-year-old played the entirety of normal time before he was replaced at the beginning of extra time by teenager defender Ayden Heaven.

Maguire appeared to be in some discomfort as the full-time whistle blew, having played 90 minutes in the previous five matches heading into the Fulham clash. The English defender has played a key role since Ruben Amorim arrived at the club and would likely start against Sociedad on Thursday night if he were fit enough.

It remains to be seen if that is the case, though. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Amorim was asked for an injury update and revealed there is concern over Maguire's fitness. “We’ll see. We’ll see," he told reporters. "I have to see how is Harry Maguire. We will see. It’s a tough moment in that aspect, but we have to move on. It will be a competitive team on Thursday."

There should be a further update on Maguire’s availability when United take part in an open training session at Carrington on Wednesday morning, ahead of their flight to Spain later in the day. Amorim will also speak to the media at his latest press conference later on that day.

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