Coach Erik ten Hag said striker Rasmus Hojlund is not seriously injured but will have to rest for at least two weeks, certainly missing the big match against Man City in the Premier League on March 3.
"It's a minor injury, Hojlund will be out for two to three weeks," Ten Hag said on February 23 at a press conference ahead of the match against Fulham in the 26th round of the Premier League. "That's what happens and the risks when you play and train at high intensity. As I said, it's not a serious injury but Hojlund will have to wait for one, two, three weeks."
Hojlund has suffered a muscle injury at a time when he is at his peak, having scored seven goals and provided two assists in his last six Premier League games. The Danish striker will miss the game against Fulham today, Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the FA Cup on February 29 and the trip to Man City on March 3. If he recovers quickly, he could be back when Man Utd host Everton on March 9.
Coach Ten Hag (left) will have a headache when losing key striker Hojlund. Photo: PA
Hojlund's absence means Ten Hag only has the option of using Marcus Rashford as a striker, because Anthony Martial is also out long-term due to injury.
According to The Athletic , in this context, the Dutch coach has tested the striker trio Omari Forson, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. In which, Forson is a 19-year-old winger and is likely to have his first start for Man Utd today.
Forson was born and raised in London, playing for the youth teams of West Ham and Tottenham before joining Man Utd in 2019. He was a member of the 2022 FA Youth Cup winning team which included two players who were promoted to the first team, Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
Forson made his Premier League debut as a substitute and assisted Mainoo’s seventh-minute stoppage-time winner in a 4-3 win at Wolves earlier this month. Like Mainoo, Forson has represented England at various youth levels but is also eligible to play for Ghana.
Ratcliffe's first official interview with Man Utd.
At yesterday's press conference, Ten Hag was also asked about billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's completion of his 27.7% stake in Man Utd, making him the largest individual shareholder of any member of the Glazer family. The 54-year-old coach said he had had many conversations with Ratcliffe and stressed that the two men were of one mind and shared the same ambition in developing Man Utd.
"Everything fits perfectly with my ambitions and the ambitions I had when I joined the team. I've been here for 19 months and I see we're on the right track," Ten Hag added. "We had some setbacks in the second season but you see the team is still improving. It's important that the players are fit and the team is building. We're strong and we'll be even stronger as we add more quality to the squad."
Ten Hag insists he still has the confidence and is not under any pressure from Ratcliffe, but admits securing Champions League football is a must. Man Utd are currently sixth in the Premier League with 44 points, five points behind fourth-placed Tottenham.
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