A slither of good news for Man Utd! Manager Erik ten Hag reveals injury-plagued winger Amad Diallo could make his return against Aston Villa

The forward is under consideration for inclusion in the matchday squad after recovering from a knee injury sustained in pre-season. He has been training with the group since the first week of December and could feature against Unai Emery's men. Meanwhile, Varane has recovered from his illness which had kept him out of the disappointing defeat at West Ham.

Speaking to reporters, Ten Hag said: "I think hopefully Rapha Varane will return. So for the rest: maybe Amad Diallo. See how far he is. He has trained for two weeks now. They are probably the ones who can maybe return."

However, Anthony Martial remains unwell, with no confirmation on his return date. Although United are unlikely to trigger the one-year extension in Martial's contract, Ten Hag also indicated there are no immediate plans to sell him in January.

"He's still unwell," Ten Hag said. "When we have news [on selling Martial], then of course I will tell it. But that is not our aim."

Man Utd have a very good record on Boxing Day. In fact, no English side has won more league games on 26 December than the Red Devils' 53.

Ten Hag remains wary of the threat of Villa, who are going through a purple patch under Emery and are placed third in the league table. United have been profligate in their recent outings and the former Ajax manager stressed on the importance of scoring first and taking the chances.

"Villa are different side. They are in very good form and are a very good team. So we have first come to that point, but if you are creating the chances, you have to take them if you want to win the game because otherwise you don't win games. That's clear."