Manchester United ace must use rare Sevilla opportunity to show his worth to Erik ten Hag

When Manchester United drew Sevilla in the Champions League quarter-finals, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane would have been expecting to feature in both legs. Now, though, neither of the defenders will play any part in the second leg clash.

Erik ten Hag's first-choice centre-back pairing were both injured in the first leg draw with Sevilla last week. Varane, whose injury has not been specified, was withdrawn at half-time of the clash at Old Trafford, while Martinez was carried off towards the end of the game with a fractured metatarsal.

It was confirmed that the World Cup winner would be out for the remainder of the season, which came as a major blow to the Reds, especially given his impressive debut campaign at United. His partner, on the other hand, is out for 'a number of weeks'. It remains unclear exactly how long the influential Frenchman will be sidelined for, but he will not return in time for the second leg clash against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

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With Varane and Martinez out of action, Ten Hag's options are limited. The Dutchman has played left-back Luke Shaw at centre-back on occasions this season, while Casemiro has also operated in central defence this season. Given United's lack of available midfielders - and with Bruno Fernandes suspended - the Brazilian ace is unlikely to drop back into defence, but Shaw could potentially return to the side in that position. The England international missed the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest through injury.

Therefore, it is expected that United will line up against Sevilla with Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire at the heart of defence. The pair kept a clean sheet at