Yet even more bad news regarding the back line for Manchester United today. Now Chris Smalling is hurt on top of it.
Here comes Luke Shaw to save the day right? Well, that’s a whole lot to ask of a youngster. Yet the left back signed the richest contract for a teenager in British football history. There’s no time like the present to start earning that pay. He gets his chance Saturday versus West Ham United.
Let’s take stock of the crisis situation among the Manchester United defenders.
– The £14 million summer signing Marco Rojo, was met with a lot of fanfare in August, but he looked terrible versus the Foxes. He will now move inside to partner alongside Chris Smalling.
Now Smalling is hurt too.
Defender Chris Smalling has picked up a thigh injury in training. https://t.co/3GA5fcCWhM
— Kabar Man Utd (@Kabar_MUFC) September 25, 2014
-Rafael will continue on at right back, he’s been one of the more consistencies this season.
-It’s time like these where you see how the club would have been better served landing a defender like Mats Hummels or Thomas Vermalen to help replace the departed Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
-Phil Jones will be out for two more weeks due to a hamstring injury playing for England in their Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland.
-Jonny Evans left Leicester in a protective boot and on crutches. He’s out for a month. Seriously, how can all these backs be hurt at the same time?
Oh wait, it still gets worse:
-Tyler Blackett is one of four Manchester United players who has been featured in every match thus far. That ends now as he serves a one-match ban for his red card at the King Power Stadium.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN2