Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not expect Harry Maguire to feature in the Premier League again this season but remains hopeful he will be fit for the Europa League final.
United captain Maguire suffered ankle ligament damage when he collided with Anwar El Ghazi during a 3-1 win at Aston Villa last Sunday.
The England centre-back was at Old Trafford on crutches wearing a protective boot on his left foot for a 2-1 loss to Leicester City on Tuesday, a defeat that sealed the title for Manchester City.
Solskjaer thinks Maguire's top-flight campaign is over with three games to play, but is optimistic he will face Villarreal in Gdansk on May 26.
The United boss said on the eve of Thursday's Premier League encounter with Liverpool: "The good news was it wasn't broken. There was no fracture, but a ligament injury of course is serious as well.
"If I'm very positive - that's maybe stretching it - I'm hopeful that he might be ready for it [the Europa League final]. I don't think he'll play in the league again before [the end of the season]. We'll do everything we can to get him ready for the final."
Solskjaer said there should be no concerns that he might take a risk by playing Maguire with Euro 2020 on the horizon.
"You always try to look after players long-term. If he's fit, he'll play for us, if he's not he won't," said the former Norway striker.
"As I said, we're hopeful that he's ready. If he's ready for us, he'll probably be ready for the Euros. Norway are not in the Euros, so I'm not really that concerned [about the Euros]."
Solskjaer made 10 changes to his starting line-up for the defeat to the Foxes and will rotate again when they face Champions League hopefuls Liverpool, given United are amid a schedule of four games in the space of 10 days.
"There will be changes of course but many of the players that played tonight did really well so they're in contention as well," he added.
"It's about managing the squad now and building momentum, building confidence, making sure we get enough points to get second and then going into the final confident."
Returning fan favourite Alonso calls Liverpool 'one of Europe's best'
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso hailed his former club Liverpool as "one of Europe's best" as he prepares for his Anfield return.
Alonso, who spent five successful years at Anfield and helped Liverpool win the Champions League in 2005, returns to his former stomping ground when Leverkusen take on the Reds on Tuesday.
Arne Slot has won 12 of his first 14 matches in charge of Liverpool, including all three in the Champions League so far.
Leverkusen have only won one of their 11 away major European matches in England (D3 L7), and have lost their last two visits to Anfield, and Alonso is under no illusion as to the scale of the task that awaits the reigning Bundesliga champions.
"For us, it is a big challenge," he said.
"Liverpool at the moment are one of the best, if not the best, in Europe, they are showing that in the Premier League and Champions League, a good squad, great coach. We're looking forward to it. Let's see what happens.
"You can play 70 minutes great but in 20 minutes it [the game] is gone, so it is mentally and emotionally we need to be ready.
"In all areas, they are really strong, so the process works really well. [Slot] has done a fantastic job in three months."
Alonso played 210 times across all competitions for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, scoring 18 goals and providing 20 assists.
After winning the Champions League with the Reds in 2005, he helped them reach the final in 2007, though they lost to Milan on that occasion.
However, the Spaniard does not think he will have too much time for a trip down memory lane.
"Unfortunately, there is no time for tourism – maybe a little run or walk," he said.
"I know the city very well, I love it, but tomorrow I will focus on the game and only the game.
"It feels great to be back here after a few years. It's always special. You notice the development of the club; the new stand looks amazing.
"It is a big game against Liverpool, it cannot get much better than that."
The omens are not great for Leverkusen, though.
Liverpool have lost one of their last 21 European meetings with German opponents (W14 D6), albeit that one defeat came against Leverkusen in 2002.
Amorim: Man Utd will think 'new Alex Ferguson has arrived' if Sporting beat Man City
Ruben Amorim joked Manchester United fans will think he is the next Alex Ferguson if Sporting CP manage to beat Manchester City in the Champions League.
The head coach has agreed to join the Red Devils and will take charge from November 11 after signing a contract with the club until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Before then, he has two games left in charge of Sporting, starting with their Champions League match against Pep Guardiola's men on Tuesday.
Sporting have made a perfect start to the Primeira Liga, winning all 10 of their games, and have made an unbeaten start in Europe, but Amorim is prepared to come under more scrutiny while on the touchline against City.
"Winning tomorrow would be brilliant. Would I be a hero at Manchester United before I land? I don't think about that, my focus is on winning the game for Sporting," Amorim told a press conference.
"The inferences that people will draw from this game are not important to me because they can be misleading. If the result was very negative, expectations will be lowered, and I don't think that is a bad starting point when I start at United.
"If we win tomorrow, they will think that the new Alex Ferguson has arrived and that will be very difficult to maintain. What interests me is to win tomorrow, to have a farewell at Alvalade, then win in Braga and then start in Manchester.
"It can increase or decrease expectations. I don't know what is better. I want to leave the fans and the players happy and confident and qualify the team for the play-offs."
Sporting won their first European meeting with City in March 2012 in the Europa League, but are winless in their last three against them (D1 L2).
However, they are unbeaten in their first three Champions League games so far this season, and if they avoid defeat on Tuesday, they will equal their longest-ever unbeaten run in the competition (four between September 1982 and March 1983).
The 39-year-old boasts the best win ratio of any Sporting coach on record in the Primeira Liga, winning 120 of his 156 such games in charge (76.92%), but captain Morten Hjulmand said the team are ready to prove they do not need Amorim, who agreed with the sentiment.
"Yes, [Sporting is prepared for his departure]. You heard Hjulmand say that they no longer need the coach," he added.
"They are very mature; they understand the game very well. They are prepared, it won't make any difference in the end.
"There is a change, of course, but the team is prepared and has enough maturity to move forward."
Slot urges Liverpool to be more consistent against Leverkusen
Arne Slot has urged Liverpool to perform better with and without the ball when they face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Reds had to come from behind to beat Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, recovering from conceding an early goal thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah as they won 2-1.
So far, Slot has only lost one game in charge of Liverpool, and boasts a perfect record in the Champions League, though they sit second in the table behind fellow Premier League side Aston Villa on goal difference.
They are looking to win their opening four games in a single campaign of the competition for just the second time in their history, after 2021-22 under Jurgen Klopp (a run of seven), but Slot knows they need to make improvements if they want to beat the German champions.
"Football is played in two moments, having the ball and not. And against strong teams, Leverkusen is one, you need to be good on both sides," Slot told a press conference on Monday.
"We were poor on both sides, not as good with or without [the ball] on Saturday against Brighton, so we need a second-half performance because Leverkusen are at least equal to Brighton with the ball. So we need a much better performance than the first half."
Liverpool have lost one of their last 21 European meetings with German opponents (W14 D6), though that one defeat came against Leverkusen in 2002. They are unbeaten in 13 games since then (W10 D3).
Xabi Alonso is looking to end that run as he returns to Anfield for the first time as a coach to take on his former side, who he helped win Europe's elite club competition in 2005.
"It's difficult to say what makes him a special manager if you don't work with him, but he is, that is clear," Slot said.
"Bottom of the league when he took over, didn't spend much, bought one or two players, had that [kind of] season [where they won a domestic double having been unbeaten in the Bundesliga] - it's special.
"I haven't faced him [Alonso] or worked with him but what might be the situation is he worked with incredible managers in the past and played at the highest levels. So he knows what players feel at certain moments."
Liverpool will be able to count on defender Ibrahima Konate, who returned to training after coming off at half-time against Brighton.
"He's available to play, and I think also completely recovered, so there is no issue for him not to play because of what [happened]," Slot said.
"Then it's up to me to make the decision if he plays or not. But he's in a good place."
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