•United players form a group huddle on the pitch
Manchester United received a fitness boost on the eve of the Europa League final as Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot, and Leny Yoro all returned to training today.
Ruben Amorim’s side are preparing to face Tottenham in an all-English Europa League showpiece in Bilbao tomorrow, reports AFP.
Zirkzee had been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury at Newcastle in April, but the Dutch striker could be available after missing United’s last eight games in all competitions.
Portugal full-back Dalot has been absent for six matches due to a calf problem, while French defender Yoro sat out last Friday’s 1-0 loss at Chelsea with a foot issue.
While that trio were able to train with their team-mates at Carrington on Tuesday, there was still no sign of Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed problem for the last three games.
United face Tottenham at the San Mames stadium, looking to salvage a wretched domestic campaign by winning the first trophy of Amorim’s reign.
Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, has presided over United’s slump to 16th place in the Premier League — just one point above 17th-placed Tottenham.
As well as ending the season with silverware, United would secure a lucrative place in next season’s Champions League if they beat Tottenham.
Postecoglou Fights To Avoid Sack
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou can end Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League final against Manchester United, but even victory in Bilbao on Wednesday might not be enough to save him from the sack.
Beating United to break the silverware curse and earn a place in next season’s Champions League would be a significant moment in Tottenham’s recent history.
The north London club haven’t won a major trophy since beating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final, while their last European silverware came in the 1984 UEFA Cup.
But Postecoglou has presided over such a miserable Premier League campaign that the Tottenham boss heads to the San Mames stadium with his future hanging in the balance regardless of the result.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has not been shy when it comes to managerial changes and has already been linked with Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
As speculation mounts that Postecoglou will be gone after the final, his brash boast in September that he “always win things” in his second season has come to define the campaign.
