It never rains but it pours as far as Erik ten Hag and Man United are concerned, and news of two more potential injuries to key players won’t be well received at Old Trafford.
According to BBC Sport, United keeper, Andre Onana, is returning to the club to have an injury he sustained whilst on international duty with Cameroon, assessed.
Manchester Evening News have slightly better news on Marcus Rashford, who was brought off early during England’s game against Malta.
The England striker was seen training on Sunday, which suggests that any fears over a long-term injury can be allayed.
Gareth Southgate would do well, however, to keep Rashford on the sidelines for what is a meaningless last European Championship qualifier against North Macedonia.
With matches coming up against Everton, Galatasaray and Newcastle in the first week back after the international break, ten Hag can do without losing any more first-team stars.
Once again, a mid-season break has been shown to be a massive inconvenience for clubs who can end up losing players at a crucial point in the season.
?? Barça expect Gavi’s ACL injury to be confirmed later today as the player is already back in Barcelona.
Initial indications are clear; Gavi was crying in the dressing room before and after the tests.
Barça, furious as they don’t understand why Gavi had to play that game. pic.twitter.com/PRpayuU08P
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 20, 2023
It’s all very well the powers that be paying lip service to the notion that players are involved in too many games, but it’s about time they did something about it.
With many of the most successful exponents playing upwards of 60 games per season, there has to be a cut off point soon or else those same players will be susceptible to potential career ending injuries.
Only this weekend, Spain’s Gavi appears to have torn his ACL and will likely miss the European Championship next summer as a result.