Why Malacia’s missing the Forest match
It had already been confirmed that centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane would be absent, with the first of those two World Cup-winning players being ruled out for the rest of the season. The latter, meanwhile, is expected to be out for a few weeks which puts his return date in early May.
Given his new-found versatility under Ten Hag’s tutelage, left-back Luke Shaw had been touted as an option to replace Martinez but he was also unable to make the teamsheet.
The manager reported on Friday morning, with two training sessions still to go, that it was “possible” Shaw and midfielder Scott McTominay could face Forest but neither player was named as a starter or a sub at The City Ground.
