Sport

Manchester United dealt a double injury blow ahead of the new Premier League season

Déjà vu.

Danny Jones - 1st August 2024

Manchester United have been dealt a double injury blow ahead of the upcoming Premier League season as striker Rasmus Højlund and new signing Leny Yoro are set to miss the start of the campaign, with the latter expected to be out for significantly longer.

The Red Devils had an injury-littered 2023/24 across various parts of the pitch but particularly in their defensive ranks, so recently signed defender Yoro finding himself already sidelined will come as tiresome news to United fans.

Worse still, with Raphaël Varane and Willy Kambawala both having left the club this summer, Erik ten Hag has even fewer central defenders at his disposal and will likely have to call on the likes of Jonny Evans again to fill in for more games than initially planned.

Yoro, 18, came off against Arsenal in Man United’s opening game of the pre-season tour in the US last week with a foot injury and it has now been revealed he will be out for up to three months.

Leny Yoro will be out for up to three months while Rasmus Hojlund is expected to be out for six weeks following injuries against Arsenal in pre-season for Man United 🔴🚨 pic.twitter.com/oKVn2hoLpn
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 1, 2024

Having suffered a similarly big setback with Lisandro Martinez also suffering a long-term injury last season, it does feel a bit like déjà vu.

As for 21-year-old Højlund, who has now claimed the number nine shirt after a decent debut season with the club, he was also hooked off just minutes into the game against the Gunners.

While it was evident that the Danish striker had pulled up on his hamstring, it was unclear as to how serious the injury was, but indications now show that he is due to be out for approximately six weeks – another significant setback for the 23/24 FA Cup winners whose league finish was their worst ever.

Although losing their main striker before the season has already begun is far from ideal, United do at least have a healthier selection of attacking players including new forward Joshua Zirkzee and the return of Jadon Sancho, whose beef with the manager appears to have been put to bed.

Sancho looks to be in the Dutchman’s plans once again after rediscovering some form back on loan at Borussia Dortmund and looking bright in pre-season thus far, nearly scoring in their 3-2 victory over La Liga side Real Betis in the early hours on Thursday morning before it was ruled out for offside.

Amass ➡️ Amad 🚀#MUFC || #MUTOUR24
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 1, 2024

It was the Reds’ first win of the US tour and Amad Diallo is also looking like he might break into the first-team as a more regular starter and help lighten the load in Højlund’s absence, netting a second impressive strike against the Spanish club after also bagging in a recent friendly against Rangers.

Nevertheless, the news of Højlund’s hamstring problems and Yoro’s fractured metatarsal is the last thing they and the fans will want to hear just over a fortnight away from the new season getting underway.

It remains to be seen whether Man United will do any more business in the transfer window, especially now the double injury blow they are without two presumably key players in ten Hag’s first-choice squad.

They were linked with a new midfield signing last month and have reportedly even ‘agreed terms’ but there have been very few updates on whether the deal has progressed any further.

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Featured Images — MUTV (via Screenshot)/Manchester United (via Instagram)