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Manchester United has been hit with a dual injury setback as Christian Eriksen will be unavailable for a month and Rasmus Hojlund may also miss upcoming matches against Everton and Galatasaray.
Eriksen, a midfielder, suffered a knee injury and Hojlund, a forward worth £72m, strained a muscle during the 1-0 victory against Luton on Saturday. As a result, both players have been withdrawn from the Denmark team for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Slovenia and Northern Ireland.
This has contributed to United’s significant injury issues this season, as Erik ten Hag’s team must navigate a challenging stretch of matches without several players.
United is optimistic that Hojlund will make a comeback by the end of November, but there are concerns about his availability for the away games at Goodison Park and Istanbul. Ten Hag’s team faces the possibility of elimination from the Champions League.
Hojlund is currently tied for the most goals scored in the competition. However, all five of his goals were scored in games that his team lost, and United’s most significant signing of the summer has yet to score in the Premier League.
It is expected that Eriksen will not play in upcoming matches against Newcastle, Chelsea, Bournemouth, and Bayern Munich. He may also have a tight schedule to recover in time for the game against Liverpool at Anfield on December 17th.
He is currently absent while Ten Hag is also missing his other highly experienced central midfielder, as Casemiro is not expected to be back until 2024.
United’s difficulties are further compounded by Hojlund’s injury.
United’s troubles in attack are made worse by Hojlund’s absence, as their forwards have only managed to score one league goal collectively this season. Anthony Martial, with only one goal in 15 games across all competitions, is expected to take Hojlund’s place. However, if Marcus Rashford, who has been goalless in his last 11 games, shifts to a more central position, he may be the one to replace Hojlund.
Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans, and Tyrell Malacia are all currently injured, and Ten Hag has chosen not to include Jadon Sancho in the team for the past two months.
Source: independent.co.uk
