Manchester United have had some of the most unfortunate luck injury-wise of any club in the top flight so far this season and the situation may have worsened against Luton Town on Saturday.
The Red Devils sealed back-to-back Premier League wins – as well as a fourth win in five games – after they overturned Luton 1-0 at home yesterday, courtesy of Victor Lindelof’s second-half strike.
Since the season began, Erik ten Hag was already navigating an injury-ridden squad, with the likes of Tyrell Malacia, Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo unavailable from the offset. A few games into the campaign, Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez were dealt long-term layoffs, while Casemiro has also since been added to the list of those on the sidelines.
The picture below shows just how damning it’s been at Old Trafford thus far and, while the performances have been nowhere near the level they should’ve been at times, it’s no wonder why the team have struggled to maintain form or consistency given that Ten Hag hasn’t been able to deploy a regular starting 11.
Danish duo could be facing layoffs
As if it wasn’t dire enough, two players were withdrawn early during the Hatters clash yesterday – Danish duo Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen. The latter appeared to sustain a twist in his knee and exited the pitch in the 40th minute, while the striker went down twice holding his hamstring before Anthony Martial eventually replaced him in the closing stages of the game.
When United return to action following the international break, they face one of the most hectic fixture runs of the term over the festive period. Matches will be coming thick and fast and each can have a pivotal impact on the season, especially with the final group-stage Champions League games.
Having your first-choice striker available is imperative, as well as Eriksen, who is undoubtedly one of United’s most creative midfielders.
The manager was asked about their status after the full-time whistle, replying (via ManUtd.com): “In this moment, I can’t tell anything about it because I don’t know. We do an assessment and we have to wait 24 hours for the conclusion. So we’ll give the medical team 24 hours to see what the problem is – if there is a problem.”
Eriksen and Hojlund would receive call-ups for Denmark’s Euro 2024 qualifiers if fit, so it’s worth keeping tabs on whether they report for international duty, are omitted, or withdraw from the camp for the November fixtures.
