Manchester United injury problems mount as Raphael Varane layoff set to be longer than expected

Manchester United are heading into the final few games of the season short of players, with the club confirming that Raphael Varane will miss the next few weeks with the muscle injury he sustained against Chelsea last week, although they hope he will be back before the end of the season.

It is another blow for the team who sit sixth in the table, and have an FA Cup semi-final coming up against Coventry.

United are currently without Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw from their defensive line, with the injuries taking their toll on their squad at what is a crucial stage of the season for a team chasing European football.

Evans should be back imminently, with the club confirming that his muscle injury was less serious than Varane's and thus he should only miss this weekend’s game against Bournemouth.

As for the rest, Shaw has been out since February and is in a race against time to be fit by the end of the season, while Martinez sustained an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his knee, also in February. He did manage a brief comeback - only to suffer a calf strain in training.

Lindelof picked up a hamstring injury at the start of the month, leaving only Harry Maguire as a specialist centre-back for The Red Devils, who might have to deal with a scratch pairing for a couple of weeks until the extent of that injury list becomes clearer.

It is another blow for manager Erik ten Hag, who has to muster a team to travel to Bournemouth this weekend, before that FA Cup semi-final - and try and rejuvenate a squad that will still be reeling from their dramatic loss to Chelsea.

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