A red card for Casemiro was not the only blow suffered by Manchester United on a frustrating afternoon against Southampton.
Substitute Alejandro Garnacho was injured against Southampton and was taken off in stoppage time.
Now he has been pictured leaving Old Trafford wearing a walking boot. Unfurl the link below to view.
Garnacho blow
Garnacho went down after a challenge from Kyle Walker-Peters. The Southampton player won the ball but Garnacho was clearly in pain after the tackle.
He received treatment on the pitch and did continue for another five minutes before being substituted in stoppage time.
The teenager was himself only brought on in the 81st minute along with Facundo Pellistri, with Manchester United only able to draw the game 0-0.
While the full extent of Garnacho’s injury is yet to be assessed, seeing him pictured in a walking boot is a worrying sign.
Now in mid-March, the worst case scenario is he ends up missing the rest of the 2022/23 season.
The best case scenario may be that Garnacho returns after the international break and just misses the next two matches.
The secondary blow to Garnacho is that he could now miss out on his first ever Argentina cap, after being called into the squad for the March internationals.
There will be other opportunities for player and country, but the timing of this injury is particularly unlucky for the teenager if it costs him time.
Erik ten Hag told the club website that his decision to substitute Garnacho was also partly tactical, bringing on an extra defender for the final minutes, and said he hopes the winger will not miss time.
He said: ““He was a little bit limping after the bad tackle. “In the end they brought on another striker, a big and tall one [Paul Onuachu] and I don’t want to go for risk, we were already downsized to 10 [men].
“I didn’t want to go with players who were [just] 90 per cent. That’s why I called him off but I think it is not too bad.”
