Luckhurst: Man United now preparing to ‘welcome’ £190k-a-week player to Ruben Amorim’s ranks

Manchester United are preparing to ‘welcome’ Harry Maguire back into the fold following his injury layoff.The centre-half has been ruled out since United’s 2-2 away draw with Tottenham Hotspur, during which he limped off in the 72nd minute with a hamstring issue.Initially, Ruben Amorim was able to navigate Maguire’s absence relatively easily, given Matthijs de Ligt had been available to start every fixture for the opening 13 matches. However, the Dutchman then suffered an injury of his own after United’s defeat to Everton on November 24, causing him to miss the last three games.Maguire on verge of return after a month sidelined (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)Amorim turned to youngster Ayden Heaven, 19, to fill in amongst his senior teammates, but is now keen to add a more experienced option to the backline following Noussair Mazraoui’s departure to the African Cup of Nations.It is unconfirmed when exactly Maguire will be back at the coach’s disposal, but there will be hopes it’s in time for Sunday’s trip to face in-form Aston Villa in the West Midlands. #mufc aiming for Harry Maguire to return this month. Haven’t rushed him back ahead of losing players due to AFCONhttps://t.co/InxOXqGO9v — Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) December 17, 2025Villa enter the clash boasting a six-game win streak, and they sit only three points behind league leaders Arsenal, whom they overturned 2-1 at Villa Park on December 6.Who else will be missing for the Villa encounter?(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)In addition to Mazraoui, Amorim will also have to make do without two of his most influential attackers: Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo.Amad oversaw one of his most tantalising appearances of the season in United’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday, and has since jetted off to represent his native Ivory Coast at AFCON.While Mbeumo was unable to add to his goal tally against the Cherries, he helped pull the strings further afield. Since he got his campaign underway in a United shirt, he has consistently been one of the side’s biggest threats.