Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that the ever-growing schedule is to blame for the club's substantial injury problems in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Lisandro Martinez and Sergio Reguilon are the latest two players to join the absentee list at Old Trafford, with the former set to be missing for two to three months with a foot injury, while the latter is now on the sidelines with a minor issue.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo are also currently unavailable for selection due to fitness problems.
However, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane have recently returned from injuries, while Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen will be available for Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace after recovering from illnesses.
"We already did, we already expanded the squad this season because we make the reason clear. We had a World Cup in the middle of the season, we had a longer season, we had to play a longer season as well, with FA Cup. A shorter break," Ten Hag told reporters on Friday afternoon.
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"Every time the schedule is expanding, the load on the players is too much, it's such a great overload. Many colleagues of mine have pointed to that and I have pointed to that as well.
"But it keeps going. We keep expanding the schedule. Anywhere, it won't stop. Players can't deal anymore with this overload and I think that's what you say in this squad at the moment.
"We have seen some players back on Tuesday, and tomorrow, back are the players who were out of the squad for Tuesday: Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen. They are back."
Antony is set to return to training, meanwhile, following a period of absence, although he is not expected to be in the squad against Palace on Saturday.
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Man United beat Palace 3-0 in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday night, but Ten Hag is expecting a completely different challenge in the league this weekend.
"Definitely, both sides will be different but we got belief from it, I know the opponent is looking for revenge, clear, and that will be their view," added the Dutchman.
Ten Hag also suggested that more youngsters would be involved in the coming weeks, with Dan Gore making his debut on Tuesday.
"Depends on their performances, on their levels, if they can show they can contribute to winning team, based on the opportunity and you win games," added the head coach.
Jadon Sancho, though, will again be missing on Saturday, with the forward seemingly still refusing to apologise to Ten Hag for publicly going against his manager earlier this month.
Matt Law
