Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has admitted he was left furious by the injury inflicted on Christian Eriksen in January as the midfielder prepares for a return to action.
The Denmark star was left nursing an ankle injury as a result of the tackle, with the initial prognosis that he would miss at least three months of action.
His injury led to United entering the loan market on transfer deadline day, bringing in Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich.
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Eriksen was scheduled to be out until at least late April, but Ten Hag has now confirmed that he is in contention to be named in the squad to take on Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
The news represents a significant boost for United, with one of their key players returning in time for a busy run-in. But Ten Hag says he is still angry at the circumstances behind the injury.
Ten Hag on Eriksen injury
The 31-year-old's absence came at one of the worst possible times for United, with the midfielder having established himself as a key player.
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It also left the side light in midfield, with Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek both also injured at that point.
But had the signing of Sabitzer not been completed, Ten Hag could have been left in a difficult position - and he was not pleased with the tackle from former West Ham and Liverpool forward Andy Carroll that led to the injury.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, the Dutchman explained (quotes via United's official website): "I was so angry about that tackle. I thought we lost him for the whole season. It was a really bad tackle.
"He is ahead of schedule. We are very happy about that."
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But while the Dutchman confirmed that Eriksen would be back in the squad to face Everton, there was less positive news about Luke Shaw, who limped off with a suspected hamstring problem during Wednesday's 1-0 win over Brentford.
Ten Hag said: "Luke Shaw is not available for tomorrow, and we have to see how it progresses in the coming week."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Christian Eriksen, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Injury