Erik ten Hag can assess unfamiliar Manchester United partnership with Bruno Fernandes absent vs Sevilla

Erik ten Hag has rarely been without Bruno Fernandes this season but will be when Manchester United face Sevilla on Thursday evening.

United should have been heading to southern Spain with a healthy lead in their luggage, but a late capitulation and some torrid luck means they are instead flying light with none of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane or Fernandes involved. The latter is serving a one-game suspension after picking up Europa League booking number three for a bizarre handball decision.

Luckily for the Reds - and there has been little lucky for them fitness-wise in recent weeks - Christian Eriksen returned from his own issue earlier this month and the Dane is looking every bit as assured as he did prior to Andy Carroll's reckless challenge. Two appearances off the bench preceded his first start since January in Sunday's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

ALSO READ: United give updates on four players returning from injury

It was somewhat ironic that Eriksen, initially on the bench again at the City Ground, was drafted in at the last minute after an injury to Marcel Sabitzer. In January it was the other way around, the Dane's ankle injury sparking a deadline-day approach to Bayern Munich.

Sabitzer would likely not have been a United player had Eriksen not suffered a serious injury just days before the window closed. Ten Hag had a Carabao Cup final to plan for and, as has proven correct, expected to enter the latter stages of both the FA Cup and Europa League. Decisive action was needed and so it came to pass that the Austrian arrived at Old Trafford.

On Thursday evening, with United needing to gather themselves from last week's collapse to beat Sevilla on their own turf, the pair could well start alongside each