Manchester United suffer major setback as key player sidelined for rest of season
Manchester United has suffered another injury blow as striker Joshua Zirkzee is set to miss the remainder of the season due to an injury. The Netherlands international will play no further part for the Red Devils this term, prematurely ending his debut season at the club.
United boss Ruben Amorim revealed in his press conference ahead of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal second leg against Olympique Lyon that the striker will not feature this season. He expressed his disappointment at the development, pointing out that the former Bologna man had begun to impress for the side.
"Joshua is out for the season. So he’s not going to play more this season. Let’s prepare him for the next one. It’s tough, especially in this moment. I think he’s improving in all aspects of the game, so it’s hard for any player to stop, but this is football and he has to be ready now to recover."
Zirkzee came off with an apparent hamstring problem in the second half of the Red Devils' 4-1 defeat at St. James' Park at the weekend. He played for 55 minutes before his forced withdrawal, with Rasmus Hojlund taking his place on the pitch.
Joshua Zirkzee was on target for Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal against Lyon last week, scoring a header in the dying minutes. The 23-year-old scored seven goals and provided three assists in 48 appearances across all competitions this season.
The Dutch striker joins centre-back Lisandro Martinez in suffering a season-ending injury for the Red Devils, adding to their woes. Amorim is now left with Hojlund and 17-year-old Chido Obi as his options in attack for the remainder of the campaign.
Manchester United star set to return for Olympique Lyon clash
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is set to feature between the sticks when the Red Devils host Olympique Lyon in their UEFA Europa League meeting. The Cameroon international was left out of the squad that faced Newcastle United on Sunday after a series of high-profile errors.
Ruben Amorim confirmed in his press conference ahead of Thursday's game that the 29-year-old will start for his side. When asked about the former Inter Milan man, the coach simply said he chose to rest Onana in a bid to protect him and help him, and the goalkeeper will return against Lyon.
"As a coach and former player first of all I try to do things that can help a player in this situation. We speak about managing players physically but we also have to manage them also mentally. We had one weekend where I felt it was better for Andre Onana not to play and a good thing for Altay [Bayindir] to play. He (Onana) will play tomorrow."
Altay Bayindir made his Premier League debut in the game against Newcastle, while veteran Tom Heaton was on the bench for the game. Onana has been linked with an exit from Manchester United in the summer, and his situation remains one to look out for as the summer approaches.