Erik ten Hag's emergency Manchester United plan might have to be used sooner than expected

Manchester United have had rotten luck with injuries this season and when it rains in Manchester, it always seems to pour. Erik ten Hag has been forced to contend with an unprecedented injury crisis and his language might have been colourful when checking his phone to read Marcus Rashford and Andre Onana had picked up problems on Friday.

Rashford sustained a knock playing for England against Malta and he was substituted in the second half of that game, although fortunately, the forward is not expected to have picked up anything serious.

“I think he’s probably okay," said Gareth Southgate about Rashford. “We just thought given the nature of the collision, it was a chance to get Cole into the game. I haven’t assessed too much but I think Marcus was okay when he came off”.

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Southgate could not give assurances but his press conference comments eased fears about Rashford. But the news might not be as reassuring on Onana after he left the pitch with an injury playing for Cameroon.

Onana was forced off after 81 minutes in Cameroon’s World Cup qualifier against Mauritius and the early suggestion was that he's sustained an adductor injury, which could mean he's facing a period on the sidelines. He will be assessed while on international duty, but depending on the severity of the problem, he could be out for anywhere between a week and a few months.

Onana has started every game for United this season and Ten Hag has persisted with him in the cup competitions, despite signing Altay Bayindir to be the back-up goalkeeper from Fenerbahce for £4.3million.

Bayindir was expected to play in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but he's yet