Manchester United may well be in the midst of a full-blown injury crisis at the moment, with Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof all potentially out of action.
United suffered a 3-1 defeat against Arsenal and, apart from the manner of the defeat, another worrying aspect for Erik ten Hag will be that both of his starting centre-backs had to be withdrawn in the second half.
Martinez was sat down on the turf shaking his head, whereas Lindelof looked a bit flustered.
According to Simon Peach, Martinez did not require a protective boot when leaving the stadium and neither did Lindelof, although the defender was limping out of the stadium.
Ten Hag provides injury update
The Dutch manager spoke after the game and, apart from airing his list of grievances with the referee Anthony Taylor, provided an update on the fitness of the pair.
“Victor was ill, so he had to come off,” Ten Hag revealed. “Licha (Martinez) had a problem on his foot, but I am not sure if it’s an injury. We have to wait, to see, to make the diagnosis.”
An injury to the pair would be a huge blow for United amid the lack of centre-back options currently at the club.
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Jean-Clair Todibo was the obvious target for United at centre-back but Harry Maguire’s failed move to West Ham meant United had no money in the coffers to invest in a defensive option.
Having Maguire and Jonny Evans as your only fit senior centre-back duo is certainly not ideal for United, despite the pair forming a good partnership during their time at Leicester City.
Erik ten Hag will be hoping and praying that the injuries suffered at the Emirates weren’t too serious as the Dutchman having to rely on a player he didn’t want at the club and a 35-year-old defender is a travesty.