Following the Carabao Cup victory over Crystal Palace, Erik ten Hag has provided a fitness update on three of his midfielders.

Manchester United, the defending champions, secured a place in the Fourth Round with a resounding 3-0 win at Old Trafford, featuring goals from Alejandro Garnacho, Casemiro, and Anthony Martial. Mason Mount, who made his first appearance since the defeat to Tottenham earlier in the season, impressed during the match but was substituted at halftime.

However, Ten Hag moved to allay concerns about the England international potentially aggravating his injury.

“I think it was probably two assists [for Mount], because it was [almost] a pre-assist for the first goal,” the manager commented to MUTV’s Stewart Gardner after the match. “That was also the foundation for that goal. I think he played very well, as we can expect from Mason Mount.”

Regarding Mount’s halftime substitution, Erik clarified, “No, but we made that decision before the game [the halftime substitution].”

Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay were absent from the matchday squad, creating an opportunity for Dan Gore to make his senior debut on his 19th birthday.

During his post-match press conference, Ten Hag disclosed that Eriksen and McTominay were both unavailable due to illness, but he expressed hope that they would recover in time for the next game against Palace in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with a 15:00 BST kickoff.

On a positive note, Harry Maguire returned and completed the full 90 minutes without any apparent issues, delivering a commanding and “solid” performance according to the manager.