Manchester United team news: Fred & Alex Telles to miss Burnley trip due to Covid

Fred and Alex Telles will not be available in Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Burnley on Tuesday after testing positive for Covid-19.

Ralf Rangnick confirmed both players will be absent, when speaking to the club’s in-house media team, and he said: “Yeah, we have two players missing.

“Alex Telles already missed the cup game [against Middlesbrough] because he tested Covid positive last week and, unfortunately, the same thing happened today with Fred.

“That’s why he will be missing from tomorrow’s game and possibly even the game against Southampton.”

How will this impact the team selection?

Telles’s absence from the team means Luke Shaw will almost definitely start at left-back, despite putting in a poor display against Middlesbrough on Friday night.

Fred missing the trip to Turf Moor is a little less straightforward. United played with a midfield three of Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in the FA Cup tie, but were at times overrun in the middle.

Should Rangnick opt for a more conservative approach, Nemanja Matic is an option to come into the team alongside McTominay. There’s also the issue of whether Pogba is fit enough to start two games in five days after a three-month injury lay-off.

Who else is missing?

Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly both missed the loss to Boro through illness and injury respectively, but Rangnick saying United ‘have two players missing’ and making no mention of the defenders is perhaps a hint they could return to the squad.

Elsewhere, the German interim manager confirmed in his press conference that Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard will be back after sitting out Friday’s game.