The chances of seeing Harry Maguire on the pitch for Manchester United in Wednesday's Europa League final against Villarreal took a massive blow after he missed out on his team's final training session on Tuesday.
Maguire travelled with the United squad to Gdansk, Poland, ahead of the final, with the aim of potentially suiting up for the match in some capacity. But it became clear on Tuesday that it may be a case of "too much, too soon" for the United captain, who suffered an ankle injury in a May 9 match against Aston Villa and was seen on crutches as recently as last week.
"Harry is just going to jog up and down the sideline, I reckon, and he'll probably try to join in a little," United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said at the pre-match press conference moments before the team's training session at the Polsat Plus Arena.
Despite Solskjaer's earlier optimism, Maguire could be seen striking a glum figure on the United bench while his teammates ran through their final preparations on the pitch.
Earlier on Tuesday, the 28-year-old Maguire was named to Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man England squad for next month's Euro 2020 tournament, but the good news did not change his immediate fortunes. Maguire is set to join Anthony Martial and Phil Jones on the sidelines as injured members of the United roster.
Maguire's absence adds another wrinkle to Solskjaer's game plan, as he looks to balance current form with team needs ahead of the cup decider.
"It's always difficult to leave players out but a final is a reward for what you've done over the whole season," Solskjaer said.
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