The 0-2 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace at Old Trafford was not the worst thing to have happened to Manchester United on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim also saw Lisandro Martinez get stretchered off in the second half after what looked like a serious knee injury and now it has been confirmed that he has suffered an ACL injury.
This is likely to keep him out for six to nine months which means the Argentine will not only miss the rest of the season but could also miss the start of the next campaign.
In cases which such a major injury, there is no telling when a player will make his return to action but for United’s sake, hopefully the World Cup can be seen in red sometime in the next campaign.
Lisandro will be a huge miss
Which is why the Portuguese head coach is keen to add quality at the back with the defence currently leaking goals. There have been reports that United could look at a stop-gap solution in the form of Andreas Christensen of Barcelona.
As per Spanish media, Dean Huijsen of Bournemouth has been identified as a long-term solution to fix the weakened backline but the Red Devils will have Paris Saint-Germain for company in the transfer race.
“The transfer market intensifies as two European giants, Manchester United and PSG, compete for the signing of one of the most promising jewels in current football: Dean Huijsen.
“At Manchester United, the addition of Huijsen has been seen as a long-term investment to strengthen the defense, an area the club has been looking to bolster for the past few seasons.
“Rúben Amorim, the coach of the Red Devils, has shown a clear interest in the defender, trusting in his youth and potential to quickly adapt to the high competitive level demanded by the Premier League.”
United vs PSG for Huijsen
The 20-time English league champions were looking at the former Juventus star last summer as well but it came as a surprise to see the Cherries win the race for his signature.
But it has proven to the right call for the Spaniard, with the 19-year-old becoming a key cog in Andoni Iraola’s system, starting the last 11 league games in a row which have resulted in only one loss.
The Spain U21 international has also netted twice during this impressive run, including putting on a defensive masterclass against United while finding the back of the net as well. And Amorim instantly became a fan.
The English side had paid €18 million for Huijsen last summer with Jose Mourinho a big admirer of the centre-back. He is likely to cost any potential suitor more than €50 million, given the player’s age and contract.
It will be interesting to see if INEOS can pull the deal off in the summer.
Feature image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
