Saints in top condition for United trip

By SFC Media time Fri 18 Oct Men's First team

Mauricio Pochettino looks set to have a fully-fit squad to select from when Saints line up at Manchester United tomorrow.

All 11 players who headed off on international duty over the past fortnight have now reported back to Staplewood, with only Gastón Ramírez arriving too late to take part in training yesterday morning.

Artur Boruc picked a minor thigh strain ahead of Poland's World Cup qualifier against England on Tuesday, with his national team's medical staff choosing to treat the problem rather than allow him to feature in the match.

The goalkeeper's absence from the starting XI that evening prompted reports that he would miss tomorrow's trip to Old Trafford – a suggestion that manager Pochettino flatly denied at his pre-match press conference.

"Artur is OK," Pochettino insisted. "There was some news that came out which isn't true regarding his fitness – our medical staff have looked at him and he's fine. 

"I'm very surprised about that news. He's been training for three days, so we hope that he's going to be perfect for Saturday's game."

Pochettino also expects to have Luke Shaw available, with the young full-back having recovered from the illness that kept him out of the win over Swansea City a fortnight ago and prevented him from joining up with England's Under-21s last week.

"Luke has been training well, and we hope that he'll be physically-fit for the game against Manchester United," said the manager.

"And the rest of the squad are fine," he continued. "Some arrived back more tired than others because they travelled for a long distance due to their international commitments, but everybody is OK."

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