Rashford out for three months: How this could change Man Utd’s transfer plans
Robin Bairner
- 30 Jul 2021 20:43 BST
- 3 min read
Marcus Rashford will miss around three months of action for Manchester United, the Premier League side have announced.
Rashford has been struggling with injury for some time and a decision has been taken for the England attacker to undergo surgery.
While such news is never welcome, the timing could be worse for Man Utd given that they still have around a month of the transfer window remaining. As such, if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to alter his plans around Rashford’s injury, he will be able to do so.
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What is Rashford’s injury?
Rashford has been battling a shoulder injury since the end of the season, restricting him to five substitute appearances at Euro 2020 for England.
Man Utd confirmed: “Following consultation between Marcus, the manager, club medical staff and specialists, Marcus will undergo surgery imminently to resolve his shoulder injury.
“He will now focus on his rehabilitation in order to return as soon as possible.”
With this in mind, Rashford may not be able to feature until the very end of October, missing a large chunk of the season.
How will Man Utd react?
Speculation has been rife that one of the next sectors of the Man Utd team to be strengthened would be the attack.
Right-back, where Atletico Madrid's Kieran Trippier is being target, is likely to remain a more urgent concern, however.
Furthermore, it is in the centre-forward role that Solskjaer had been tipped to sign. Although Rashford can play through the middle, he is more predominantly used on the flank.
With that in mind, it may not affect Man Utd’s signing policy at all, but it could impact the players that they allow to go out on loan.
Amad Diallo could be a player to benefit, with the youngster having impressed since arriving from Atalanta in January. He could now be given a chance to impress in a peripheral role before January, at which time he could be sent on loan or retained, depending on his performances.
Daniel James is another player who may benefit in terms of getting more game time at Old Trafford, while it is also worth bearing in mind that while Jadon Sancho was signed presumably to predominantly feature on the right, he is also well capable of featuring off the left, too.
While Rashford’s injury gives Man Utd and Solskjaer some food for thought, they would appear to have the strength in their ranks to cope.
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Man Utd
Amad Diallo
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Jadon Sancho
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Marcus Rashford
