Why is Rasmus Hojlund not playing for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League?

Manchester United looked to be heading for yet another Premier League disappointment against Aston Villa on Boxing Day but came from 2-0 down at half time to snatch a much-needed 3-2 victory thanks to a Rasmus Hojlund winner. Manager Erik Ten Hag will hope the win proves to be a turning point for his side, who ended 2023 with a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Hojlund a surprise absentee against Forest

The Dutchman will again be unable to call upon a whole host of players for the clash at the City Ground, including striker Hojlund, who is a surprise absentee. The Danish striker, who joined the club for a reported fee of around $81.7 million from Italian side Atalanta in the summer, has scored five goals in six Champions League matches for his new club but really struggled in the Premier League, not finding the net in any of his first 14 appearances.

However, he opened his league account by firing in the winner against Villa, after which he claimed to be the “happiest man alive.” But rather than build on his last outing, the 20-year-old has been forced to drop out of the squad to face Forest because of illness, with Ten Hag revealing before the game “he doesn’t have the energy to start or be on the bench. You have to deal with it.”

Why isn’t Harry Maguire playing for United against Forest?

Hojlund is far from being United’s only absentee, with a lengthy injury list including defender Harry Maguire. The England centre-back’s time at Old Trafford has been quite the rollercoaster, being stripped of the captaincy and losing his place in the team before earning a recall earlier this season, after which he was named Premier League Player of the Month for November.

The Red Devils won five league games of six, and six out of eight, with Maguire lining up in central defence alongside Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelöf and Luke Shaw, but the 30-year-old’s last two appearances came in home defeats to Bournemouth and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The defender was forced off with a groin injury in the latter fixture and hasn’t been seen since.

Maguire will miss his fourth consecutive game when United take on Forest, with the previous three yielding a mix bag of results (one win, one draw and one defeat). Ten Hag has revealed the former Leicester City man’s injury “isn’t long-term” and he should return to action in “the early part of January”.

Why isn’t Mason Mount playing for United against Forest?

Mason Mount really hasn’t taken off yet since making the move from Chelsea to United. The 24-year-old started their first two league games of the season but has since been hampered by injury, featuring in only 12 of a possible 28 fixtures.

Because of a calf problem, Mount’s last appearance for The Red Devils was against Luton Town on 11 November. The attacking midfielder has been forced to sit out his team’s last 10 games, although he has resumed training and should be back playing in a few weeks’ time.

Casemiro among other absentees for Red Devils

Lindelöf, Casemiro, Lisandro Martínez, Luke Shaw, Sofyan Amrabat, Tyrell Malacia, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho are the other absentees as United play their last game of 2023.