Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed some bad news on the injury front regarding how long it could take Scott McTominay to recover from a knee issue.
The 23-year-old has played a key role so far this season, making 21 appearances across all competitions as he has established himself as an important figure in Solskjaer’s plans.
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However, it appears as though the Red Devils will have to figure out a way to cope with his absence in the coming weeks, as Solskjaer has now suggested that his midfield star could be ruled out of action with that knee injury for up to four weeks.
“I wouldn’t expect him to be back in the next couple of weeks. I don’t think we’ll see him,” he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“He has proven before that if you give him three weeks he’s back in two! So, I don’t know. It might be three or four weeks. We’ve just got to find a way through it.”
If that recovery timeline is accurate, that would see the Scottish international miss a string of key games starting with Arsenal on New Year’s Day, followed by clashes with Wolves, Man City, Norwich, Liverpool and Burnley across all competitions which all come before the end of January.
As hinted at by Solskjaer above though, McTominay has shown already this season an ability to recover ahead of schedule, and so given the magnitude of some of those encounters, Man Utd will certainly be hoping that he can repeat the trick this time round and be available for some crunch showdowns.
That said, they will be equally concerned about rushing him back and running the risk of suffering a setback, and so time will tell how they manage the situation and when McTominay will be available for selection again.
With Paul Pogba also missing the win over Burnley on Saturday, Solskjaer will be hoping that his midfield isn’t weakened for too long, especially having put themselves firmly back in contention for a top-four finish in the Premier League.