How Man Utd can line up against Chelsea after fresh blow sparks defensive crisis

Manchester United are facing a defensive crisis ahead of their Premier League clash with Chelsea this weekend with Harry set to miss out.

Maguire was shown a straight red card in United’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on 20 March for the denial of a goal scoring opportunity, deemed to have hauled back Evanilson as he broke through on goal.

As a result of that sending off, the England international was suspended for United’s 2-1 defeat to Leeds United on Monday.

But the 33-year-old will now serve an additional ban with a misconduct charge upheld by the FA.

Maguire will miss out of the visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday after thew FA ruled he swore at fourth official Matt Donahue following his red card at Bournemouth.

It leaved United short at the back with Lisandro Martinez also serving a suspension this weekend.

The trip to Chelsea is the first of three games the Argentina international will miss after he was sent off against Leeds for violent conduct when he was judged to have pulled Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair as the two battled for the ball.

Martinez will also miss the upcoming home games against Brentford and Liverpool.

How Man Utd can line up against Chelsea this weekend

With Matthijs de Ligt still out with a back injury that has sidelined him since the end of November, United are short of three senior options at centre-half.

It leaves them with the youthful pair of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven to possibly start in west London.

Yoro, 20, has started the last six games while Martinez has been out injured, featuring again in the place of the suspended Maguire on Monday.

Heaven, 19, is United’s only other available centre-half, still to start a game under Michael Carrick. The former Arsenal youngster last started a game during Darren Fletcher’s brief reign in charge as interim boss in the 2-2 draw with Burnley in January.

Carrick will also have the option of deploying Luke Shaw at centre-half, a role he regularly played under Ruben Amorim, albeit in a 3-4-3 formation.

Moving Shaw inside would leave a void to be filled at left-back.

Patrick Dorgu is still working his way back from a hamstring injury with the Chelsea game likely to come too soon for the Denmark international.

Nossair Mazraoui, who started on the right against Leeds, is an option to slot in again with Diogo Dalot moving over to cover Shaw on the left.