Manchester United’s new £52 million defender Leny Yoro has been sidelined for three months, while striker Rasmus Hojlund will be out for six weeks due to injuries sustained in Saturday’s pre-season match against Arsenal.
The news was confirmed just over an hour before United’s 3-2 win over La Liga side Real Betis in San Diego.
Both players were forced off during the first half of the 2-1 loss to Arsenal at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Yoro was seen at United’s training base at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Tuesday, wearing a protective boot and using crutches, raising concerns about a serious injury.
These concerns have been confirmed, with the 18-year-old Yoro expected to be out until late October.
This absence means he will miss nine Premier League games, including fixtures against Liverpool, Tottenham, and Aston Villa, as well as the start of United’s Europa League and Carabao Cup campaigns.
Yoro will undergo further tests upon returning to the UK to assess the full extent of his injury but will remain with the United squad for the rest of their US tour, which concludes against Liverpool in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday.
Hojlund, who scored United’s opening goal over the weekend, is suffering from a hamstring injury and will be out until after the September international break.
Consequently, he will miss the Liverpool game at Old Trafford on September 1.
It remains to be seen if these injuries will revive United’s pursuit of Jarred Branthwaite from Everton or Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich, given their previous interest in both players this summer.