Rashford, Shaw & Martínez: Man Utd injury news and return dates ahead of Palace clash

Manchester United travel to London to face an in-form Crystal Palace team next Monday, but will at least have plenty of space on the team bus – as many as ten players could be absent for the game at Selhurst Park.

Marcus Rashford is among the doubts for the game, but key defenders like Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez are edging closer to a return to Erik ten Hag’s side, who managed just one league win in April.

We’ve collected all of the latest injury news for Manchester United and their stricken players’ likely return dates below ahead of a potentially tricky tie in the Premier League.

Marcus Rashford

Rashford picked up a knock late on in United’s nervy eventual FA Cup victory over Coventry City, and missed the recent matches against Sheffield United and Burnley as a consequence. The club have provided very few details about the nature of the injury – which has been typical this season – but there were reports that he was close to a return ahead of the 1-1 draw against Burnley, which implies a decent chance he plays against Palace.

Luke Shaw

Shaw has been out of action since February with a muscular injury, with initial reports suggesting he could miss the rest of the season or even the European Championships. The prognosis has improved, however, with Ten Hag telling the media he expected Shaw to be back in full training this week. The Palace match could still come too soon, but there’s a very good chance that he features against Arsenal the week after, at the very least.

Lisandro Martínez

The Argentine has struggled with injuries all season and has missed the last couple of months courtesy of a calf injury, but like Shaw he’s on the mend and should be back in team training this week. As with Shaw, there is no confirmation that he will be available for Monday, but he should be back in action at some point in the next couple of weeks.

Raphaël Varane

The experienced French centre-back has been out of action since the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea last month due to a foot injury. Ten Hag has not provided any updates on when he will return, although it has been reported that he will be back at some point in May. As he wasn’t mentioned as returning to training alongside Shaw and Martínez, it seems unlikely that he will play against Palace.

Jonny Evans

Another defender with some injury issues in the last couple of months, the veteran has been on and off the treatment table throughout 2024, most recently with what has been reported as a minor muscular injury. The specifics are not public knowledge, however, and it is impossible to determine whether he will be back in action as early as next week.

Scott McTominay

The Scotsman, whose seven league goals have made him an unexpectedly talismanic figure this season, hasn’t played a full 90 minutes since the 1-1 draw against Brentford and picked up yet another knock against Burnley last weekend after he came on as a substitute. It’s his knee on this occasion, and Ten Hag believes it is unlikely that he will be ready for the Palace game, saying “I think it’s a little bit too quick [of a] turnaround.” However, the player did take to social media to quash rumours that his injury would see him ruled out of the rest of the campaign and Euro 2024 with Scotland.

Willy Kambwala

The young defender has been called upon to cover for injuries on several occasions this season but has missed the last two matches himself after picking up a knock in the wake of the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. There has been no word on the severity of the injury from the club or the manager, meaning we have no information to work with.

Victor Lindelöf

The Swede was initially ruled out for a month after being forced off the field against Brentford at the end of March with a hamstring injury, but there have not been any further updates since and he is not believed to be back in full training as yet. A return against Palace looks unlikely at this point, but barring setbacks which have been kept private, he should play again this season.

Tyrell Malacia

Dutch wing-back Malacia continues the long process of rehabilitating from two separate surgeries on his knee - Ten Hag has previously said that he is “fighting” but that it would be “difficult” for him to feature before the end of the season. He is back in light training but has not yet rejoined the first team.

Anthony Martial

The Frenchman was ruled out for three months following surgery on a groin injury back in January but has still not returned to training. Ten Hag has previously suggested he may play again before the end of the season - and indeed the end of his contract, which is up in the summer - but there have been no concrete updates and it must be assumed that there have been setbacks.