The solid quartet formed by Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, Orel Mangala and Aster Vranckx – with the first two mentioned as starters and the following two as replacements – today finds itself plunged into uncertainty. The fault lies in two injuries suffered this Saturday. One on the thigh for Youri Tielemans with Aston Villa, the other on the knee for Aster Vranckx with Wolfsburg.
When leaving the match against Chelsea (2-2) in the 27th minute, Tielemans was holding his upper left leg. And even though he was able to reach the locker room without a stretcher, the Red Devil grimaced seriously and seemed above all disappointed by the situation. We therefore necessarily fear an adductor injury. “We’ll have to wait until tomorrow (Sunday), replied his coach Unai Emery, who was not very optimistic after the meeting. I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with him. And if it’s not available for a week, two weeks, three weeks, we have to accept it.”
gullI don’t know exactly what’s wrong with him.
The concern is also real for Aster Vranckx, who received a direct hit on the left knee from Roland Sallai, the Friborg striker. The Wolfsburg midfielder needed the support of his medical staff to limp off the pitch. As with Tielemans, the severity of the injury is not yet known, but we understand that the player will undergo an MRI this Monday.
Disaster in sight for the Red Devils? Youri Tielemans is injured against Chelsea
There is no question at the moment of talking about a package for the Euro, but Domenico Tedesco is undoubtedly already thinking about potential alternatives. The two most obvious to date are Albert Sambi-Lokonga and Mandela Keita. But what also worries the coach is the lack of rhythm from which his two other executives, Amadou Onana and Orel Mangala, could suffer.
Onana and Mangala in difficulties
With Everton having just almost ensured its maintenance, Onana has lost its indisputable starting place. His coach Sean Dyche now favors the pair Idrissa Gueye – James Garner when both players are available. Result: Onana only played 27 minutes in the last three games. The fault is partly due to the current configuration of the Toffees’ game, which primarily seeks – via shorter possessions – to be more pragmatic with a view to maintaining.
The other factor comes from the uncertain future of the 22-year-old Belgian who risks leaving the club this summer. “Onana is a player Everton will almost be forced to sell, given the situation they currently find themselves inobserved the English consultant Jamie Carragher on Sky Sport, while being very critical. I don’t even know what his real position is. Is he a defensive midfielder? Does he project offensively? Is he involved in construction? The only thing I see him doing is waving his arms to get the crowd excited.”
For his part, Orel Mangala has also played very little for several weeks. The Olympique Lyonnais player has only 56 minutes in the last seven matches (before facing Monaco this Sunday). “But he hasn’t disappeared from the radar, he just has less playing time, assures his coach Pierre Sage who tempers. He is very important for us, otherwise the club would not have done everything they did to recruit him. He is and will be important in the seasons to come.”
