Just when it seemed like they were finally getting healthy, Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has confirmed that Michael Carrick will miss up to a month of action for Manchester United after rupturing a muscle.
Carrick is set to miss Premier League games against Leicester, West Ham, Burnley and Swansea and the FA Cup replay against Cambridge, plus a potential fifth-round tie against either Preston North End or Sheffield United.
“We don’t have many injuries,” Van Gaal told MUTV. “Ashley Young is coming back, but Michael Carrick has been injured now so he is out at the weekend. He can be important for the team but he is now injured.
“I think it shall take more than four weeks, so it is not a minor injury but a muscle rupture, I think.
“He is also the second captain, but I have to say that’s part of the job of a manager, especially this season at Manchester United, because we have suffered a lot of injuries. But now we have seen [the light at] the end of the tunnel.”
Carrick sat out the first three months of the season with an ankle injury but United have only lost once this season with him in the starting 11. Daley Blind, who played at left-back in United’s 0-0 draw against Cambridge, is the likeliest player to take over from Carrick as the holding midfielder.
This is a big blow for United as Carrick is the key to moving possession up to United’s attacking stars. Luckily for United though, the upcoming fixture list is full of winnable games that they should not need Carrick to get through.
