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Christian Eriksen is set for an extended period of time on the treatment table after being ruled for a number of months with an ankle injury. The Danish midfielder sustained the injury during United’s FA Cup cup tie with Reading on Saturday after an ugly-looking Andy Carroll foul.
The injury to Eriksen is a huge blow to Manchester United as they continue to compete in four different competitions. Midfield options had already been depleted this month after Donny van de Beek suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Eriksen has played a huge role for United this season after signing for the club in the summer. The ex-Spurs man has played 31 times already this season across all competitions and has been the glue between Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in midfield.
With Eriksen out for an extended period of time, United are now left with Casemiro, Fernandes, Fred, and Mctominay as their only first-team central midfielders. This could mean that youth players, Kobbie Mainoo and Zidane Iqbal, receive opportunities in the months ahead.
Eriksen could still play a part this season
Although the news about Eriksen is bleak, Erik Ten Hag is hopeful that we haven’t seen the last of the midfielder this season. With United still in the FA Cup and Europa Leauge, Eriken’s return could coincide with United’s biggest games of the season. Speaking to reporters ahead of United’s game with Nottingham Forest, Ten Hag said:
“He is expected to be out of action for an extended period. There is hope that Christian can return in time to play a role in the final stages of the season. Initial assessments indicate that Eriksen is likely to be out until late April or early May.
Of course, he’s disappointed about it, we’re disappointed about it. I wish it hadn’t happened. It’s quite clear Christian brings top quality to our squad and he has some specifics that are hard to replace.”
Despite losing Eriksen for a few months, the United boss believes that he has players in his squad “who can fill the gap”. Ten Hag also made a point of referring to Fred’s partnership with Casemiro for Brazil. He said:
“He’s playing together with Casemiro in the Brazil squad. You can see against Tottenham and Manchester City he has a lot of qualities and they’re a good combination.”
A deadline day swoop?
With United now short on midfielders, they could take a late look at what’s available in the transfer market. The transfer deadline is at 11pm tonight, meaning they are in a race against time to get something over the line but officials are said to be investigating what’s available.
According to reports in Germany, United are said to be in talks with Bayern Munich over a loan move for Marcel Sabitzer. The Austrian international has struggled for consistent game time since moving from Red Bull Leipzig in 2021 and is said to be open to the move.
The deal would give United an experienced player who has played at the top level for a number of years in Germany. The opportunity to reignite his career in England could result in United getting their hands on a hungry player with a point to prove.
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