The weekend’s historical loss to Crystal Palace brought injury in addition to insult for Manchester United, as now they could be without two first teamers for Saturday’s match at Southampton FC. And the fitness status of one of those players could determine the fate of a potential piece of transfer business.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that first choice left back Luke Shaw picked up a suspected hamstring injury in the Red Devils first ever Premier League loss to Palace this past Saturday. Shaw was forced off in the 34′ but Solskjaer hopes that the diagnostic scans will convey an injury that’s not too serious.
“We’ll do the scans tomorrow [Sunday] but he felt something in his hamstring,” Solskjaer told Manchester United’s official website.
“Hopefully, it won’t be too bad and I hope he is going to be back for Southampton.”
The Red Devils are in the very first game of the final PL weekend before the first international break. A trip to Southampton, a side that seen a revolving door at manager and a struggle to stay up in the top flight these past couple years, might just be the best thing for them right now.
However, United might have to take on Saints without striker/winger Anthony Martial, who also suffered an injury issue in Saturday’s loss.
Solskjaer on Anthony Martial: “We’ll have to wait and see. Hopefully they won’t be too bad and maybe we can have them training during the week.”
Martial, who stayed on to the end of the game because United had no substitutions left, was seen limping massively. Scans of his left thigh will determine the extent of the damage.
The status of Anthony Martial could determine what happens with the proposed loan deal that could send Alexis Sanchez off to Inter Milan. United have already sold Romelu Lukaku to Inter, and they did not acquire a replacement.
With Sanchez hurt, and the forward group in general lacking depth, the only reserve forward on the bench was 17-year-old Mason Greenwood.
According to ESPN today, United will wait and see on Martial before they make a decision on the Sanchez deal.
The two sides are working on a loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer which would see United pay a portion of Alexis’ massive £391,000-a-week salary this season.
The transfer window in Italy remains open until Sept. 2, so there is a lot of contingencies, or if-then propositions involved here. It’s a very fluid situation.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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