Erik ten Hag & Man Utd rocked by major injury blow
- Luke Shaw sidelined with a muscle injury
- The Red Devils recently lost new signing Mason Mount for over a month
- Rasmus Hojlund could make his debut for United after overcoming back issue
By Tom Gott
Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw is set for an "extended period" on the sidelines after picking up a muscle injury.
United are already battling a number of injury concerns, with Mason Mount recently suffering his own hamstring problem which is expected to keep him on the sidelines for at least the next month.
Summer signing Rasmus Hojlund arrived at the club carrying an injury, while Tom Heaton, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and backup left-back Tyrell Malacia have all been dealing with injuries as well.
The Athletic state that Shaw has picked up an unspecified muscle injury which will require further scans before an accurate recovery period can be given, with the club hopeful he will only miss weeks, rather than months of action.
With Malacia already injured, it leaves manager Erik ten Hag forced to get creative at left-back. 20-year-old Alvaro Fernandez was part of the squad in pre-season but was heavily linked with a summer exit before Shaw's injury.
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Right-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot have both been used as emergency cover on the left during their careers at Old Trafford, while centre-back Lisandro Martinez spent a short period as a left-back at Ajax.
It's not all doom and gloom for United, however, as reports suggest Hojlund could be set to make his first matchday squad since his £72m move from Atalanta.
The 20-year-old picked up a back injury over the summer and has not yet made his debut for his new side, although United are said to be hopeful that Hojlund could make it to the bench for Saturday's meeting with Nottingham Forest.
United have made an underwhelming start to the new campaign, scraping a 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers before falling 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
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