Manchester United’s injury problems are showing no sign of easing as Daley Blind suffered suspected torn knee ligaments during Netherlands’ Euro 2016 qualifier against Latvia on Sunday.
The 24-year-old former Ajax star had to be substituted after just 20 minutes following Eduards Visnakovs’s challenge.
The Dutch went on to win 6-0 in Amsterdam to boost their chances of qualifying for the finals following their humdrum start to the campaign.
Despite thrashing Latvia they remain third in their group following defeats in Iceland and the Czech Republic.
National coach Guus Hiddink suggested after the match that Blind could be facing up to six weeks of rehabilitation, saying: “It doesn’t look good. It is his medial ligament. It could be a strain but also be a tear, so that is a big blow.”
United manager Louis van Gaal signed Blind for £14million and had been using him as a central defender recently because of injuries to Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo and the suspension of Chris Smalling.
Van Gaal has had to cope with a raft of injuries at Old Trafford in the first three months of the campaign and the current international break has not been kind to him either.
As well as Blind’s injury, England midfielder Michael Carrick was sent home ahead of the qualifier against Slovenia because of a groin problem, while goalkeeper David de Gea dislocated his finger while training with Spain.
United, who are currently seventh in the Premier League table, travel to Arsenal on Saturday. The Gunners are 2.16 to win the match while United are available at 2.97 to come out on top.
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