United have also been hit by the Africa Cup of Nations, with Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo all unavailable after departing for international duty. Their absence has further reduced Ruben Amorim's options at a time when the squad is already stretched.

The injury situation worsened on Boxing Day during the defeat to Newcastle, when Mason Mount was forced off in the first half after sustaining a knock.

The midfielder was substituted at half-time, with Jack Fletcher introduced as his replacement. The exact nature of Mount's injury has yet to be confirmed, adding another layer of uncertainty for the coaching staff.

"He felt something at half-time. He wanted to go (on) and that is also a good thing," said Amorim.

"He wanted to go to the second half but we cannot lose more players, if you are not 100 per cent."

Captain Bruno Fernandes remains sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa before Christmas. He missed the Newcastle match and is expected to be absent for a few weeks.

Notably, this is only the third game Fernandes has missed through injury since joining the club, underlining his usual reliability. United are expected to benefit from a relatively kinder run of fixtures during his recovery period.

Young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is also unavailable after suffering a calf injury in training. He has missed matches against both Aston Villa and Newcastle.

"They are recovering (Fernandes and Mainoo). I don't think that it is going to take a lot of time. Kobbie is going to return faster than Bruno," said Amorim.

"I don't want to say (how long for Bruno). I have an idea, of course, but let's see.

"It is impossible to replace Bruno but I said that this morning to the team.

"I don't think that it is going to take a lot of time. Kobbie is going to return faster than Bruno."

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has nothing but praise for new signing Gilberto