Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will be feeling more optimistic about turning around their season after a narrow 1-0 win over Luton Town lifted them up to sixth, but the Dutchman has another growing concern to deal with. As the Red Devils approach the busiest period of the season, more players are joining their lengthy injury list with Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen becoming the latest to be ruled out. Express Sport assesses the severity of United’s current injury list with expected return dates for those sidelined.
Rasmus Hojlund
The worrying sight of the Dane trudging off in the 77th minute against Luton will spark fears he could be out for a number of weeks. The 20-year-old could be seen holding his hamstring and while it did not look like a serious injury, a strain will keep him out for at least two weeks.
The international break will give Hojlund the chance to recover and he is now unlikely to go away with Denmark after being called up to the squad. United will assess his fitness in the coming days.
Christian Eriksen
Ten Hag’s midfielders are dropping like flies after Eriksen was left unable to continue against Luton and was subsequently brought off for Mason Mount in the first half.
The 32-year-old clutched his left knee in pain after an accidental collision and with Casemiro already out, United’s options are wearing thin. There is no current timeline given for Eriksen as the club assess the severity of his injury, but he may be a doubt for their clash against Everton on November 26.
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Casemiro
Casemiro sustained an ankle injury on Brazil duty last month and returned against Newcastle, only to be taken off at half-time of the 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat with a hamstring issue. And Ten Hag has already prepared himself to be without the Brazilian midfielder until Christmas.
“I have some time schedules, but it’s always difficult to predict that because there can be setbacks during a rehab period,” Ten Hag said. “Casemiro and Martinez are really strong injuries – I don’t expect them back before Christmas.”
Jonny Evans
Ten Hag refused to give too much away after Evans was forced off during their 4-3 defeat to FC Copenhagen on Wednesday.
“So we don’t have, in this moment, the full assessment and all the details, but tomorrow, he is out. I can’t say [if he can go away with Northern Ireland] as we don’t have the finished assessment.” However, United have since confirmed he will be out for “a few weeks” with a thigh strain.
Luke Shaw
Shaw hasn’t featured since the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in August after suffering a setback in his recovery from a muscle injury in October.
That kept him out for another five weeks and without Malacia either, United have been forced to use Sergio Reguilon and Diogo Dalot at left-back. But there is some optimism Shaw could return to action after the international break, having sat out of the game against Luton.
Lisandro Martinez
The Argentinian has been out since September with a foot injury and decided to go under the knife to resolve a recurring metatarsal issue.
He is not expected back until Christmas, just like Casemiro, with United left short at the back after Evans’ injury. In the meantime, it leaves Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof as the only fit centre-backs.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
The right-back was ruled out with illness for the clash against Luton but that shouldn’t keep him out for long, especially with the international break lasting a fortnight.
Tyrell Malacia
The left-back has been out since August with a knee injury and still hasn’t made an appearance this season after undergoing surgery to fix the issue.
The 24-year-old has returned to individual training but until he returns to full training out on the pitch, his return still seems some distance away.
Amad
The Ivorian winger suffered a badly timed injury in August which scuppered a potential loan move and ruled him out for the “first part of the 23/24 campaign, and we await further”, according to Ten Hag.
The Dutchman didn’t provide details on his estimated recovery date, and he could be out until the New Year.
