Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that Marcus Rashford is set for an extended spell on the sidelines, admitting that he could delve into the transfer market for ‘short-term deals’ this month.
Rashford was absent for United’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of arch nemesis Liverpool on Sunday, with news emerging during the game that the England international could be set for a three-month lay off after suffering a double stress fracture of his back in the FA Cup third round replay against Wolves.
Speaking after the game the Norwegian said the 22-year-old striker will be out for at least six weeks, something he says the Red Devils have ‘just got to deal with’.
“Marcus is going to be out for a while. He suffered a stress fracture against Wolverhampton [Wanderers],” he told talkSPORT.
“I don’t know how long he’ll be out for, but it’s normally six weeks before you can get going again and they’ll he need time to get match fit again.
“We’ve just got to deal with it for a while. He’s been absolutely fantastic all season. We had a similar spell with Anthony [Martial] out for eight weeks.”
Asked if the injury will affect the club’s transfer plans this month, he added: “The permanent signings we’re looking at, those targets are not going to change because we’ve got two or three players injured for the next few months.
“That might mean that we could look at some short-term deals that will take us to the summer. But that might not be the case.”
One player who may benefit from Rashford’s absence is 18-year forward Mason Greenwood, who has scored nine goals across all competitions for United’s senior team this season.
“We’ve been careful with him, because there is a top player there,” Solskjaer explained.
“It’s a chance for him now. It might be that we do one or two things in the window, but Mason has an opportunity.”
