Thursday, September 19

Marcus Rashford injured as Man United closes in on Champions League spot

MANCHESTER, England — Marcus Rashford may miss Saturday’s sport towards Wolverhampton with a leg harm, doubtlessly hurting Manchester United’s probabilities of incomes a Champions League place.

United supervisor Erik ten Hag mentioned Friday it was “more than doubtful” his main scorer can be accessible for the weekend.

“He has a problem,” Ten Hag mentioned. “He’s a big question mark for tomorrow.”

Rashford’s absence can be a serious blow to United after back-to-back losses within the Premier League.

The England striker has had essentially the most prolific season of his profession, scoring 29 objectives to assist fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in November.

Better information for United is the return to health of Raphael Varane after the France defender was injured towards Sevilla final month.

But discovering objectives with out Rashford is a matter Ten Hag has struggled with this season.

Rashford’s significance has been underlined in latest weeks as United’s kind has begun to dip.

The ahead has solely scored as soon as in his final seven video games, which has coincided with Ten Hag’s staff being knocked out of the Europa League by Sevilla and successful simply one among its final 4 matches within the league.

That has allowed fifth-place Liverpool to shut the hole within the race for Champions League qualification on the again of a run of six straight wins.

United continues to be fourth, with a sport in hand on its historic rival, as Ten Hag goals to guide the staff again into European soccer’s elite competitors in his first 12 months in cost.

Ten Hag mentioned stress from Liverpool shouldn’t be a trigger for concern within the remaining weeks of the season.

“Of course we can ignore it,” he mentioned. “Because it’s not important. We have everything in our hands and as long as we have things in our hands – so we are in control – as long as that, we are not dependent of (on) them.”

Liverpool’s Champions League cost has come out of nowhere after lastly discovering kind in latest weeks.

The successful run has seen Liverpool climb from eighth place to fifth, whereas a 10-point hole to United is now only one.

It brings again recollections of 2021 when Liverpool gained eight and drew two of its final 10 video games to safe a top-four end. That included goalkeeper Alisson Becker scoring a Ninetieth-minute winner at West Bromwich Albion.

“I knew weeks ago it was completely out of sight, I couldn’t see it at all, but that did not mean we would not try to get closer,” Liverpool supervisor Jurgen Klopp mentioned Friday. “That’s the only thing we did, we got closer.”

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