Football
Manchester United suffer double injury ahead of Chelsea FC clash
Manchester United defenders Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof have been ruled out for ‘at least a month’ in an untimely blow to Erik ten Hag as the club prepares to play Chlesea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
The injury setbacks come at a crucial point of the season, with United hoping to climb up the Premier League table and win the FA Cup.
United are currently sixth, eight points behind Tottenham ahead of Spurs’ trip to West Ham on Tuesday evening and a further three behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, who visit Manchester City on Wednesday.
United will look to make up ground on their top-four rivals when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Thursday to face Chelsea. The Red Devils will then prepare for a clash with arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Towards the end of the month, Manchester United face Championship side Coventry City for a place in the FA Cup, with Man City taking on Chelsea in the other semi-final tie.
But Ten Hag, who is under increasing pressure at United, will be without experienced defenders Martinez and Lindelof for at least four weeks, meaning they may not feature again this season.
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Lindelof has featured in 19 of United’s 29 Premier League games this season and started Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Brentford before being subbed off with a hamstring injury.
His replacement, Argentina World Cup winner Martinez, was making his first appearance since early February, but he now faces another spell on the sidelines after injuring his calf in training, Manchester United said in a statement.
It remains to be seen whether United can end another difficult season on a high by climbing up the Premier League table and winning the FA Cup, but ex-Man City defender Micah Richards is not optimistic.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, he said: ‘I look at the structure and their style of play but they do not win the first, second or third ball.
‘It is not from a place of not trying, but they all just do not know where they are supposed to be pressing.
‘They were awful. It is just chaos. One week they are really good and one week they are poor. They are underwhelming and it feels like a broken record. They do not seem to be able to put a run together.’