Huge boost for Man Utd as Kobbie Mainoo returns to training - with new haircut - after injury lay-off as midfielder set to make squad for Europa League quarter-final first leg vs Lyon

Mainoo was spotted in United's open training session on Wednesday before flying out to France for the quarter-final first leg against Lyon. The midfielder was sporting a new, no-nonsense haircut as he trained in the glorious sunshine at Carrington with his team-mates for the first time since injuring his hamstring.

Mainoo's last match was the FA Cup tie with Leicester on February 7, suffering the injury days later in a terrible training week for the Red Devils which also led to Amad Diallo damaging ankle ligaments and being ruled out for several months. Mainoo is now expected to be available for Thursday's first leg at the Groupama Stadium although fellow midfielder Toby Collyer plus defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Ayden Heaven are doubts after being absent from the training session.

United head coach Ruben Amorim told a pre-match press conference: "Kobbie Mainoo is training with us, we want to be careful, again, with our players, but maybe he’s going to be in our squad."

Mainoo was playing in an advanced role just before he got injured. He played as a No. 10 in the Europa League win at FCSB and to good effect as he scored and set up a goal for Diogo Dalot. But Amorim's plan to play him as the centre-forward against Crystal Palace days later badly backfired. His return further strengthens a United side who are slowly but steadily improving under Amorim ahead of their last chance to win a trophy and salvage one of their worst-ever campaigns in modern times.

United are the only unbeaten team in the Europa League but will be put to the test against a Lyon side who destroyed FCSB 7-1 in their last-16 tie. "In the end it doesn't matter if you're unbeaten, if you don't win it," said Red Devils full-back Diogo Dalot. "So hopefully we can be unbeaten until the end and win it. But it's a good sign that we've been doing really well this season in Europa League and we want to keep doing until we play in Bilbao."