Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane forced off injured in Europa League quarter-final draw with Sevilla | Football News

April 13, 2023 admin

Manchester United’s mounting injury problems intensified on Thursday night as the dramatic 2-2 Europa League quarter-final first leg draw against Sevilla came at a significant cost.

United’s first-choice centre-backs Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez both failed to finish the game, the former replaced at half-time and Martinez later carried off with what appeared to be an Achilles injury.

Erik ten Hag was already without forward Marcus Rashford, who is out for “a few games” due to a muscle injury.

Varane had impressed during United’s dominant first half, winning 100 per cent of his duels and completed 84 per cent of his passes while also clearing one Sevilla chance off the line.

But the France defender was forced off at half-time and replaced by Harry Maguire Maguire.

Worse was to follow for United after Bruno Fernandes’ harsh booking for handling a close-range shot triggered his suspension for the second leg in Seville next week.

Ten Hag opted to replace the Portuguese with the returning Christian Eriksen, but with Anthony Martial also then withdrawn, his early substitutions backfired.

After Jesus Navas’s cross was inadvertently deflected past David de Gea by Malacia, within seconds of the restart Martinez went to ground unopposed holding his right Achilles.

The defender’s Argentine compatriots Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel lifted him off the field. United were forced to play the remaining minutes with 10 men as Ten Hag had made all five of his alterations.

Youssef En-Nesyri’s header deflected off Maguire to square the tie, and ahead of the second leg Ten Hag faces a growing list of absentees, with Fernandes, Varane and Martinez joining Rashford, Luke Shaw and Alejandro Garnacho on the sidelines.