Manchester United is likely to look even harder for a new centre-back and striker after Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund’s devastating injuries made their team look thin in the first few weeks of the season.
They were out for three months and six weeks, respectively, which was a huge blow to the Premier League team last night.
While United was playing Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, both players got hurt and had to leave the game early in the first half. Yoro broke a metatarsal in his left foot, and Hojlund strained his calf.
A huge setback for Erik ten Hag, the news means that the Dutch boss needs to find new players quickly for the new season, according to The Telegraph.
The Red Devils were trying to get a new centre back over the summer, and they were interested in Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt. But with all the injuries lately, they might need to get a new player even faster.
While Hojlund is out, Ten Hag’s forward line will be missing a huge player. Joshua Zirkzee, who was signed for £36.5 million, could fill the void.
United might have to bring in a new player because the 23-year-old has never played in the Premier League before.
Ten Hag could use Ivan Toney from Brentford because he played well for England in the Euros even though he came off the bench in most of their games.
The 28-year-old striker set up Harry Kane’s dramatic extra-time winner against Slovakia in the round of 16. He then made news by scoring a penalty against Switzerland without even looking at the ball.
A new sign Yoro, who is 18, just joined United from Lille two weeks ago. This was his second game for the team, and it was against Arsenal. The injury happened just after the half-hour mark, and he went back to work right away after getting care.
Three days after the game, on Tuesday, Yoro was seen on crutches with his left foot in a protective boot. This made people worry that the injury was worse than they thought.
On Wednesday, United announced that he would be out for three months. However, the player wants to stay on the club’s tour of the US and will be evaluated further when he gets back to Manchester next week.
Lisandro Martinez hasn’t gone back to training yet after playing for Argentina in the Copa America. This means that Ten Hag might have to choose between Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, and Victor Lindelof to play in central defence.
One player whose future at Old Trafford is unclear is Lindelof. He may now stay to provide cover.
The losses remind us of United’s troubles on tour in the US last summer, when Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo got hurt and couldn’t play until November and December, respectively.
In the first game of the tour, against Arsenal in New Jersey, Diallo hurt ligaments in his knee and had to have surgery. In the second game, against Real Madrid in Houston, Mainoo hurt his foot and couldn’t play for four months.
