Manchester United’s alarmingly bad luck with injuries has turned a season of hope at the start into a running nightmare.
There have been more than 60 cases of a player missing a game due to injury or illness and Erik ten Hag has been at pains to point that out as a mitigating factor for bad results.
Just when the situation looks to be improving with one return, a couple of players replace them on the physio table.
Something similar happened as Erik ten Hag talked to the press before the Arsenal game on May 12.
He revealed that Lisandro Martinez, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, and Scott McTominay have all returned to training, with the latter three likely to be involved.
However, Mason Mount suffered another injury setback and has been ruled out of the game.
Ten Hag has now given further updates on Mount’s situation, with it being bittersweet for the player.
He said that Mount’s latest issue is “minor” and is only expected to keep him out for “a couple of days”.
Ten Hag expects him to miss the game against Arsenal and the next one against Newcastle on Wednesday is likely to be avoided to so that he isn’t rushed back.
That means he will be fit to play a part in United’s last league game of the season against Brighton, with the game acting as a warm-up to the all-important FA Cup final.
He said: “It’s a minor issue. So he’s definitely not out for the season. I think a couple of days, then he’ll return.
“Maybe Newcastle [next Wednesday] is too short but I think he can be available for Brighton [in our final match of the league season].”
Mount made his first start after a long time against Crystal Palace and looked off the pace in a chastening 4-0 defeat in a campaign where he has never truly got going due to injuries.
Unless there is a 180-degree change in fortunes next season, he is on an extremely worrying trend as another sunk cost by United in the transfer window.
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