Manchester United set to include 17-year-old starlet in their squad for Liverpool clash amid defensive injury crisis… with Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof unavailable

Manchester United will include a 17-year-old in their squad to face Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils have been hit by a series of defensive injuries recently, so Erik ten Hag had to turn to a member of the under-18 squad to join the first team.

The crisis deepened this week with defenders Lisandro Martínez and Víctor Lindelof being ruled out for a month with calf and hamstring injuries respectively.

They were dealt a further blow when, on Thursday, both Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans were sent off during their 4-3 loss to Chelsea.

In addition, midfielder Scott McTominay has been ruled out for the clash, meaning ten Hag will have to turn to his youth teams to complete the numbers for the match.

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With all this in mind, 17-year-old Harry Amass has earned a call-up for the first team’s match against Liverpool at Old Trafford, according to reports The Athletic.

The youngster has been a key player in United’s Under-18 team this campaign, having made 18 appearances in all of the team’s competitions.

He was also recently called up to United’s under-21 team and has been training regularly with the first team in the absence of their starting left-backs.

Both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia have been sidelined for an extended period, forcing several players to play in an unnatural position.

If Amass takes the field against Liverpool, he will join the likes of Omari Forson and Willy Kambwala as academy graduates who made their first-team debuts this season.

Speaking after the injuries to Lindelof and Martinez, ten Hag suggested the Premier League stars were “overloaded” by the football calendar.

“Of course, anywhere players become overloaded and can no longer perform,” the United manager said.

‘We are past the point where we demand what we want from our best players.

“You see, last weekend, City played without (Kyle) Walker and (John) Stones. Levels were dropping without them.

“There was a different team than the one we faced.”