When will Manchester United come to work? Amorim confirmed that a number of people have returned, and the opponent has suffered serious injuries to Haaland and missed the derby

United's fortunes appear to have changed as the season enters the sprint, with manager Ruben Amorim confirming that Harry Maguire and Lenny Yoro are expected to return from injury at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday. Luke Shaw is back in training but not ready to compete.

Harry Maguire, Yoro and Shaw all returned to training on Friday, with Yoro missing the games against Real Sociedad and Leicester City with a foot injury, while Harry Maguire has missed the last four games. Shaw hasn't played in four months, with his last start for United coming against Luton Town on 18 February.

"Harry Maguire is ready to play, as is Yoro. Luke [Shaw] wasn't ready," Amorim explained, "and they started to do some training with the team and we need to be gradual with Luke. Mason Mount is feeling much better and he was on the bench last game.

Referring to Eden Haven, who was once thought to be seriously injured against Leicester City, Amorim said the 18-year-old would be back this season, with the United boss also speaking about other injuries. "Bryant [Menor] is almost back, but he's not ready for this game. Evans is recovering, Aiden [Haven] is recovering, his injury is not as serious, he's recovering, it's just not ready to play, but he's definitely back this season. Lisandro [Martinez] was out for the season and I think that's it."

In addition to the returning injured player, Manchester United left-back Patrick Dolgu has also ended his suspension. Amorim added: 'I think it's very exciting to have the players back because it's a tough game. But we've had fixtures like that before and we have a smaller number of players. So it's very important for us to get players on the pitch, to make them fight, to rotate us in games. Different characteristics of the players give us different opportunities to win the game. It's a really good moment of our season. I know there are at least three very tough games in the Premier League [against Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle], but the team is ready for them. The Europa League is also a key part of us at this decisive moment."

United have won their last two games before the international break, and going into 2025, the team has lost just three of their 17 games, not counting the penalty shoot-out against Fulham in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Of course, they have only won seven games and drawn the other seven.

'You could say I'm really confident,' Amorim stressed, 'and I feel like the players are more confident and their mentality is different. But I also know that as the outcome of the game changes, so does the situation.

We are focused on staying alive and trying to do a lot of things that need to be improved. Even if we win games, we have to admit that there is still a lot to improve. We are ready for the last two months of the season. I don't know what we're going to do, but we're working hard and want to win the race. We can finish with different positions, we are more confident, we are working hard, we want to win, that's our focus."

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, could be missing two key players, including top scorer Chris Wood, who was injured while representing New Zealand in the World Qualifiers, and second scorer Morgan Gibbs-White, who went off the FA Cup post.

Not only that, but Manchester City, who Manchester United host on Sunday, are also plagued by injuries. Goalscorer Erling Haaland was seriously injured after scoring in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Bournemouth and is sure to miss the Manchester derby. He could miss most of the season but is expected to be back at the end of the season.

Haaland had a dramatic experience in that game, missing a penalty but then making amends for it before he suffered an ankle injury against Lewis Cook and fell heavily under a billboard and was unable to continue playing. After the game, the British media saw Haaland on crutches and left the stadium with his left foot in a protective boot.

Manchester City issued a statement on Monday evening confirming that Haaland will seek specialist advice to confirm the severity of his injury. "The evaluation is still ongoing to confirm a full diagnosis," the statement said. Erling [Haaland] is expected to recover in time to continue playing this season, including in this summer's FIFA Club World Cup."

Injury expert Stephen Smith predicts that Haaland could miss between four and 12 weeks, with a certainty that he will not be available for Manchester United, regardless of his severity.