Ethan Laird provides first assist on loan at MK Dons - and insists injury is not serious

Manchester United have high hopes for young talent Ethan Laird.

He has just begun his first loan spell of his career out at MK Dons and he is off to a strong start.

Laird provided the assist to spark a one-sided win over Fleetwood Town last night, setting up a goal in just the third minute of the game.

He came close to getting on the scoresheet in the first half too after an impressive individual moment.

Laird was playing in his third game at MK Dons, previously featuring in a FA Cup tie against Burnley as a substitute, and then a defeat to play-off hopefuls Peterborough at the weekend.

His loan move only went through on January 8, and so it has not taken long for Laird to make an impression.

Reaction

Seeing Laird make a good early impact on loan has gone down well with supporters.

Here is a look at some of the reaction on Twitter to his performance…

Injury strikes Laird down

Laird is a highly regarded talent at United whose biggest struggle for the under-23s has been staying fit. This is a big test for him to see how he holds up to senior football.

And that’s where the big downside to Laird’s night came in. He was substituted after just 58 minutes with an injury.

MK Dons were 3-0 up at the time, with Laird doing well defensively too, winning two aerial duels, two tackles, and one interception in addition to his forays forward.

The injury was just typical bad luck. In the first game of the academy season he played a big impact in a 6-0 win at Salford before picking up a hamstring injury after an hour which cost him two months.

Seeing him come off injured last night was a worrying sign and served to highlight concerns that the 19-year-old will continue to get held back by a combination of bad luck and his body not holding up.

Fans bemoaned the teenager’s bad luck on a night where everything seemed to be going his way.

It’s not serious

Fortunately, Laird’s injury is not one which is likely to keep him out of action at all for very long, if at all.

Laird sent out an injury update on his Instagram story page to reassure supporters of both clubs.

MK Dons’ next fixture is only next Tuesday as opposed to being at the weekend, so Laird has a little extra recovery time.

There is a strong chance he will be passed fit and ready to go, to try and build on this promising performance.

• Raphael Varane will fly to Manchester to seal United move on Monday
• Manchester United in August: Predicting the transfer deals to come
• United loanee Bernard makes first Hull appearance in 2-0 win over Red Devils U23 side
• Report: Fenerbahce want to sign United midfielder Pereira
• Hull boss McCann delighted to sign Manchester United’s Di’Shon Bernard on loan
• Henderson is excited by United signing Sancho
• United defender Eric Bailly endures mixed day as Ivory Coast exit Olympics
• Marcus Rashford posts long emotional message after decision to undergo surgery
• Di’Shon Bernard signs new long-term contract with Manchester United
• Manchester United set to resume training