Solskjaer considers loan deals to give Man Utd short-term cover for Rashford
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed Manchester United could enter the loan market during the January transfer window as they look to cope without injured striker Marcus Rashford.
The England striker was substituted just 16 minutes after coming on in an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Wolves and is now set for an extended spell on the sidelines.
Rashford ruled out: Five things to know…
- Rashford is Man United‘s top scorer in the league this season with 14 goals.
- Only Jamie Vardy and Kevin de Bruyne (both 21) have contributed to more goals than Rashford (18) this term.
- The forward missed Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to rivals Liverpool due to a back problem.
- Rashford‘s injury has now been confirmed to be a stress fracture and he could be out for more than six weeks.
- Solskjaer has hinted that Man United may look to sign players on short-term deals during the January transfer window.
Rashford played no part in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield and the Red Devils clearly lacked a killer instinct against Jurgen Klopp‘s men, highlighting how important Rashford is to Solskjaer‘s cause.
With Man United already short up top this term after the sale of Romelu Lukaku, Solskjaer is understandably frustrated that he will not be able to call upon Rashford‘s services for several weeks at a crucial stage of the season.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Solskjaer said: “He’s suffered a bad injury.
“Yeah, it’s a [back] stress fracture, it happened against Wolves. It’s not happened before, it happened there and then.
“He’ll be out for a while. He won’t be back until after the mid-season break. Normally [it takes] six weeks to heal, but I’m not a doctor, and then he needs rehab after that probably.”
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Do Man United need a quick-fix?
Other than the potential signing of Bruno Fernandes, Man United have been fairly quiet in the transfer window thus far, with Solskjaer playing down the possibility of multiple incomings.
However, the fact that the Red Devils have now lost their star performer for the foreseeable future means that a change in tact could now be on the cards at Old Trafford.
RATINGS: Every player marked out of 10 from Liverpool's 2-0 win vs. Man Utd.
🔴 Best = 9/10
🔴 Worst = 5/10⚫️ Best = 8/10
⚫️ Worst = 3/10By @OllieThomas94.https://t.co/4LPvPF1BEx
— Squawka (@Squawka) January 19, 2020
Indeed, Solskjaer hinted at this when discussing Rashford‘s injury and suggested that Man United may enter the loan market in order to find cover.
He added: “We’ve had many injuries for big players this season. It’s just an unfortunate situation we’re in.
“We might look at some short-term deals as well that could take us through to the summer. We don’t desperately need a striker – if the right one is there and it fits for us… we’ve got players who are champing at the bit.”
