United’s defensive crisis deepens with Blind injury
Manchester United midfielder Daley Blind was taken off with suspected knee ligament damage during Netherlands’ Euro 2016 qualifier against Latvia on Sunday.
Blind limped off 20 minutes into the game after a clash with Eduards Visnakovs, and was replaced by Jordy Clasie with the Dutch 1-0 up courtesy of a headed goal from United team-mate Robin van Persie.
Despite watching his side win 6-0, Dutch head coach Guus Hiddink hinted Blind’s injury appeared more serious than first thought, with several reports suggesting the player could be sidelined for at least a month.
“It doesn’t look good. It’s his medial ligament. It could be a strain, but it could also be a tear. So that’s a big blow,” Hiddink told reporters.
Blind is expected to undergo further tests at United’s training ground when he returns to Manchester on Monday, although initial reports suggested the midfielder had suffered medial ligament damage and not cruciate ligament damage, which is more serious.
However, he is now a serious doubt for United’s Premier League clash with Arsenal on November 22.
Louis van Gaal has been hampered by numerous injury concerns since taking over at Old Trafford in the summer and was forced to field Blind alongside 19-year-old Paddy McNair in a makeshift defence for the club’s most recent game, a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on November 8.
The news regarding Blind appears to have capped off a miserable week for United and Van Gaal; goalkeeper David de Gea suffered a dislocated finger while on international duty for Spain, while Michael Carrick withdrew from the England squad before Saturday’s 3-1 victory against Slovenia.
With Carrick, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Jonny Evans out – and Chris Smalling suspended – United have a real crisis in the heart of their defence.
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