Manchester United have been dealt with another injury blow as forward Rasmus Hojlund has been ruled out with a muscle injury.
The club has confirmed that the 21-year-old is going to be out for two to three weeks which means he is going to miss the Manchester Derby next weekend.
The official statement read: “Rasmus Hojlund will miss Manchester United’s Premier League game against Fulham on Saturday due to a muscle injury.
“It is expected to keep him out for two to three weeks.”
This injury has come at the worst possible time for Erik ten Hag and also Rasmus Hojlund because the youngster had just started scoring goals.
After going through a rough patch during the first half of the campaign, the Danish international has scored eight goals in his previous eight appearances and within a flash, he’s racked up seven goals and two assists in 20 Premier League games.
After his brace against Luton Town, the 21-year-old became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six consecutive league matches.
His form had come at the perfect time when Manchester United have been pushing for a top-four finish but this injury has the possibility to derail things within a blink of an eye.
Anthony Martial is the next logical choice to replace Rasmus Hojlund but the Frenchman is out with a groin injury. He could be back in time for the derby but there’s no way Ten Hag is going to use him, even if he is 100% fit.
Man United face Fulham this weekend and we think their manager is going to put Marcus Rashford upfront with Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes as the two wide players. Ten Hag has used this formation earlier this season and while it isn’t the best choice the manager really does not have too many options.
Ten Hag can also gamble and use Scott McTominay in a forward role but we doubt if the Dutch manager is ready to take such a massive gamble.
Hojlund’s goal-scoring spree has obviously been a big relief for Man United but his hold-up play has also been commendable and that’s something that Rashford won’t be able to bring onto the table. Rashford is neither a great header of the ball nor is he good with his back to the defenders so the likes of Fernandes and Garnacho will have to flood the box along with the England international.
Three weeks means Rasmus Hojlund is going to miss five or six games and for these matches, ETH will have to rely on pacey counter-attacks to get the job done. Manchester United will face Chelsea and Liverpool in back-to-back games in the first week of April and if his rehab goes to plan, Hojlund should be available for these high-profile encounters.
