Erik Ten Hag is hopeful Raphael Varane will be available in time to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on 3 June.
The Red Devils secured their place in their second final of the season after edging past Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
Despite both sides failing to break the deadlock after 120 minutes of action, it was Ten Hag’s tricky Reds who came out on top after winning 7-6 on penalties.
And although United must continue to ensure they finish inside the Premier League’s top four in order to qualify for next season’s Champions League, a lot of focus will now turn to June’s mouth-watering FA Cup final against Pep Guardiola’s noisy neighbours.
And ahead of the final game of the 2022-23 season, Ten Hag has offered fans some hope that experienced French defender Varane could be in line to feature.
Speaking to talkSPORT, via the club’s official website, after their semi-final win on Sunday, Ten Hag, when asked about the possibility of Varane being available in June, said: “I think so, Yeah. Varane, for the cup final, he can return.”
Unfortunately for United, centre-back partner Lisandro Martinez will not be able to return in time for June’s Manchester Derby.
After breaking a bone in his foot during United’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Sevilla earlier in the month, the former Ajax defender is now set to miss the remainder of the season.