Marcus Rashford failed to make it into the matchday squad against Sheffield United as Manchester United secured a 4-2 win on Wednesday evening.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Rashford was omitted from the United squadAntony started in place of the English forwardHojlund and Fernandes stepped up in the absence of the strikerWHAT HAPPENED?
Sheffield United twice took the lead, only for United to equalize each time before securing the win with late goals from Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Højlund in the final 10 minutes of the game. One notable absence from United's matchday squad was Rashford, who had played 90 minutes in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley over the weekend. Rashford was substituted off the pitch on Sunday after 97 minutes with a suspected injury, and he was later seen limping through the mixed zone after the game, with his injury meaning he was absent from the subsequent win over the Blades.
Advertisement(C)GettyImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Instead of Rashford, the £85 million ($106 million) signing Antony started for United, who is yet to score a Premier League goal this season. Rashford's absence also meant that his milestone 400th appearance for the club was delayed at least until the weekend.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ahead of the Sheffield United match, there was speculation that Amad Diallo could be rewarded with a start for his recent impressive form. However, Amad had to be content with a role from the bench. Casemiro was asked to fill in at centre-back alongside Harry Maguire for the second consecutive game as Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Willy Kambwala are all nursing injuries.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
The injury crisis at United was evident from the composition of their bench, which severely lacked experience with youngsters Louis Jackson, Harry Amass, Habeeb Ogunneye, and Ethan Wheatley, all aged 18, making up the numbers for Ten Hag. Wheatley was introduced later in the match which earned him the accolade of becoming the 250th academy graduate to play for the Red Devils. However, there has been no update on Rashford's injury status and it remains to be seen if he will be fit to play against Burnley this weekend.