Sevilla confirm Muriel and Nolito returns six days before Manchester United but Banega remains out

Sevilla have confirmed a double injury boost for the upcoming clashes with Las Palmas on Saturday (17 February) and Manchester United next week after both Luis Muriel and Nolito returned to training with the rest of their available teammates on Thursday [15 February] morning.

However, Ever Banega remains on the sidelines and it is still uncertain whether the Argentine will be back in time for a La Liga trip to the Canary Island which will come only four days before the first leg of the Champions League last 16 with the Red Devils.

Muriel, 26, has endured a slow start to the life at the La Liga side after being brought from Sampdoria in the summer in a club record deal worth €20m (£17.7m, $25m) [Goal.com]

But the Colombia international has managed to turn around the situation since his former Sampdoria boss Vincenzo Montella took over Eduardo Berizzo late in December.

Muriel has established himself as an unmovable presence in the Italian's starting line-ups, having scored three goals and provided two assists in his last seven games.

The striker made Montella's line-up during the weekend 1-0 win over Girona but set alarms bells ringing at the Sanchez Pizjuan after being forced off with a muscle injury in the 64<sup>th minute of the game.

Muriel tried to play down the concerns of the fans earlier this week in an interview with the club radio, assuring that he was going to be fit for the coming clashes with Las Palmas and United.

"Fortunately I came off in time, when I felt that knock I stopped and it meant nothing happened. It's nothing, it just needs a few days of rest. I will start training midway through this week," Muriel said before hailing the importance of Montella in his recent good form.

"I never stopped working, persevering, I knew that a time would come when my work would start to pay-off. I continued fighting, working, and finally, I got the results I wanted. Montella's arrival at the club has also played a massive part. The confidence that he has given me has put me at ease, enabling me to perform as I have done in recent matches".

"I felt the need to impress from the beginning because the Club had paid so much to sign me. I became extremely anxious, causing me to make mistakes that I wouldn't normally make. Thankfully I was able to come out the other side and turn the bad run I was having around. I'm happy with how things are going at the moment and I am filled with confidence and drive ahead of upcoming matches".

And Sevilla have now confirmed the good news after revealing that both the club record signing and Nolito were back in training on Thursday.

The former Manchester City forward has missed the last two games after suffering a muscle injury during a 5-1 defeat to Eibar on 3 February but he should be in contention to face Las Palmas and United.

However, Banega is likely to miss the clash with Las Palmas and his availability for the visit of Manchester United remains under question with the Argentina international yet to recover from a hamstring injury suffered against Leganes on 7 February.

His potential absence against United will be a major blow for Sevilla with the former Valencia playmaker being arguably the Montella's best player.