Injuries threaten to unravel Manchester United’s promising season

Winning a trophy after almost six years and returning to the UEFA Champions League would be a fulfilling season for Manchester United and their fans.

While the Red Devils have won the Carabao Cup, they could add two more trophies, as they’re in contention for the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League, too. What's not certain, though, is their position in the Premier League. Erik ten Hag’s side are fourth but are locked in a heated battle with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur for a place in Europe’s elite competition.

Manchester United have worked hard to get to this point, but there’s still more they can achieve under Ten Hag. However, their season risks drifting towards uncertainty following injuries to key players.

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Red Devils without key players for season's run-in

Marcus Rashford was the first key player to be ruled out after he suffered an injury against Everton last week. The 25-year-old has been ruled out for a few weeks, and considering what he brings to the team, he will be missed.

Things went from bad to worse for Manchester United when they lost their two starting centre-backs in the 2-2 home draw against Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals in midweek. Rafael Varane will miss the next few games, while Lisandro Martinez has been sidelined for the rest of the season following a metatarsal injury.

Luke Shaw has also been out for the last two weeks, while Diogo Dalot has only just returned to training. That leaves the Red Devils without several key players for the crucial games to come, starting with Sunday’s Premier League test against Nottingham Forest.

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Injuries could spoil promising season for Manchester United

Losing Rashford’s goals is one thing, but also losing the defensive solidity that Varane and Martinez bring to the table makes the situation more worrying.

All these injuries could culminate in spoiling Manchester United’s promising season. The Red Devils were leading against Sevilla when Varane and Martinez left the pitch due to injuries and ended up drawing the game.

Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are established internationals and should be able to hold the fort in the absence of the aforementioned duo. Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Antony could make up for Rashford’s absence, but they're all regulars in the grand scheme of affairs.

“All clubs have to deal with key players missing, but then other players are coming in. You always want to play your best eleven, especially when you go to the final stages (of competitions) and when they are not available others have to do it,” Ten Hag said, as quoted by Manutd.com.

He continued:

“I think we prove (ourselves) when they are not there. Last week, we were discussing who is going to score the goals. Marcel Sabizter scored two yesterday. We talked a lot about Casemiro. Can the team play without Casemiro?

“But we proved against Brentford and against Everton that we can also play without Casemiro and win difficult and important games. We have to deal with it, and we will do, and that is now also the case that when he’s dropping out, always, we have to take over and take responsibility.”

Manchester United could still finish the season with a place in the Champions League and three trophies, but injuries threaten to unravel a promising season.