The Manchester United striker endured a nasty clash of heads with Wesley Hoedt on Saturday.
United’s inability to win their first match in four games puts them third in the Premier League table for the first time in months behind Chelsea. Given that Manchester City are seemingly out of reach though, the biggest loss suffered yesterday looked to be that of £75m striker Romelu Lukaku.
The 24-year-old was caught on the back of the back by Southampton’s Dutchman, and was grounded for more than five minutes as he received treatment from medical personnel.
The sight of the stretcher and oxygen mask was a genuine cause for concern, with United manager Jose Mourinho unable to commit afterwards as to how long Lukaku would miss out.
“When you see a player leave the pitch like he did, it is usually two games at least.”
Those two games come within the next five days – against Everton on New Year’s Day and Derby County on Friday – an understandable absence given the circumstances. Per Het Laatste Niewus though, that could be the extent of the Belgian’s exile.
The newspaper reports that the oxygen mask seen was a “precaution”, and that Lukaku has not suffered a “serious head injury” as a result of the clash.
The damage is said to be limited to a concussion at worst, requiring a week’s rest.
HLN state that United don’t want to give a precise update until all medical examinations have taken place, but that they have sent reassuring “off the record” signals regarding the injury.
The news will come as a relief to the increasingly under pressure Mourinho, who revealed after yesterday’s nil-all draw that fellow striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out of action for the next month due to struggles with his knee injury sustained last season.
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