Erik ten Hag has one more big Man Utd problem for Aston Villa as he admits 'big risk'

Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as they prepare to face Manchester United in the Premier League at Villa Park

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Kobbie Mainoo will be assessed ahead of the match against Aston Villa as he deals with a knock sustained in their last Premier League match against Tottenham.

The 19-year-old midfielder trained on the eve of United's match against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday and travelled to Portugal but did not make the bench. “We had three players with issues going into this (Porto) game,” Ten Hag said. “Harry Maguire, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

“Harry Maguire and Alejandro made the squad and they were capable to play some minutes. Kobbie Mainoo didn’t make it. It was too big risk. We have to wait and see if he can play on Sunday, if he’s fit enough to start or be on the bench.”

READ MORE: Belgium manager issues Amadou Onana injury update ahead of Man United clash

READ MORE: Emi Martinez makes vendetta claim after Bayern Munich as he says 'I can't control it'

Ten Hag is under huge pressure ahead of the match at Villa Park on Sunday (2pm), with United languishing in 13th place in the Premier League. Once again his future at the club is being questioned.

Asked if he felt there was patience within the United fanbase and the club, Ten Hag said: “I’m not thinking about such issues because that is not a topic.

“We are in there together – the ownership, the leadership team, the staff. I appointed a new staff, we bought, again, new young players and we have to integrate them.

“Like we just talked about Manuel Ugarte, the six position was absolutely one of the topics we want to sign for the season but he needs time to integrate.

“And I know in top football you don’t get time, they have to perform immediately, but it’s not always realistic.

“He has to get used to our game model, he has to get used to his team-mates, he has to get used to the intensity of the Premier League, so it needs time.

“We have more positions where we need time, where I was very pleased with the return of Rasmus Hojlund.

“I think he had a good return, but we didn’t and we couldn’t play him in the first two months of the season.

“Hopefully he’s now fit, he keeps improving in his fitness levels, and that he also has a consistent, fit season. That will help us.

“There are some more areas where we will improve, definitely, and then this team can grow and improve. Then we will see where we will end in the end of the season.”

Will Villa pile more misery on Ten Hag and Man Utd? Tell us HERE

The latest Villa headlines sent straight to your phone

Join our Aston Villa WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click on this link and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. It's a free service. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from our Villa writers.

We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Villa news. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. Click here to read our Privacy Notice