Manchester United’s season has been fraught with controversy and off-field issues that have impacted the performances of Erik ten Hag’s men and led them to their worst start to a season in decades.
The injury crisis at Old Trafford has been unprecedented, with at one stage 11 first team regulars all ruled out at the same time.
There was a ray of sunshine that things were starting to get better this week when Aaron Wan-Bissaka returned from injury early, playing 45 minutes of United’s ill-fated Carabao Cup clash with Newcastle United.
However, just as he was trotting onto the pitch in the half-time interval, another player, Casemiro, was limping off it, maintaining the number of players on the injury roster exactly as it was before.
The Brazilian had himself just returned from an injury sustained while on duty for his national side which was a minor niggle.
However, after the game, Ten Hag admitted he had had to substitute the midfielder due to another injury and said it would be 24 hours before the extent of the damage was known.
According to The Athletic, Casemiro has a hamstring pull.
The outlet reports that “Casemiro is the latest casualty after suffering a hamstring strain against Newcastle on Wednesday that has ruled him out of Saturday’s game away to Fulham.”
If it is a “hammy”, the injury will also almost certainly rule the Brazilian out of next Wednesday’s crucial Champions League tie against FC Copenhagen.
Soccerinteraction.com explains that the mildest form of hamstring pull, a grade one, usually takes between eight and ten days to heal.
Given that the star would then need a couple of days’ training under his belt before returning to action, this puts the following weekend game against Luton Town also in deep doubt.
According to the same source, grade three, the worst hamstring injuries, can take up to three months to heal, which could render Casemiro absent until February.