Manchester United midfielder Fred is set to miss as many as three games in the next week as he suffers with injury. The 29-year-old has impressed since Ralf Rangnick’s arrival as interim manager, having struggled to settle into the team beforehand.
The Brazilian’s potential three game absence, as reported by The Telegraph, could see him miss out on clashes against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. It comes at a poor time for the Red Devils, who are hopeful of making the top four and currently sit in fifth.
A further blow to Rangnick is the fact that the match against the Blues has been moved forward, with the original fixture taking place in May, but having to be changed due to their FA Cup final that weekend. It’s a move that the interim coach wasn’t too pleased with.
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Talking to the official Manchester United website, he said: “For us it’s not good because we have a number of injured players so it would have been better for the Chelsea game to be played two weeks later when it was originally planned. But anyway we have to deal with it and hopefully by then we have two or three of those injured players available again.”
Fred has made 25 Premier League appearances this season, fitting well with the more intense pressing style their current manager prefers. This has allowed him to impress, scoring four and assisting five this season.
The injury comes at a critical time in their top four push. While they seemed cut adrift one week ago, Arsenal’s poor form coupled with Tottenham’s loss to Brighton has opened another opportunity for United.
It makes the next period equally important for Mikel Arteta, who is looking for his side to bounce back from three straight defeats in the league. Discussing their problems after the defeat to Southampton, the Spaniard said: "Difficult to explain because this is football, not basketball. Because any other sport you win the game very comfortably and you’re talking about different things. Difficult to explain but at the end of the day it’s decided in the boxes. They scored one goal, we didn’t."
Man United are in fifth, three points behind Tottenham in fourth and level with the Gunners in sixth. It only adds emphasis to how important their clash is at the weekend, with much-needed momentum surrounding the other games before and after it.
Just how important Fred's injury could be to the top four race remains to be seen, but it’s not ideal for the side in their hopes of doing so.
