Hip injury set to keep Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on the sidelines
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is set for a spell on the sidelines with a hip injury, the PA news agency understands.
The centre-back missed the 3-1 home derby defeat to Manchester City in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night.
It was originally thought Maguire’s fitness issue was a foot problem sustained in the goalless FA Cup draw at Wolves.
Maguire, who has often captained the team this season, is not expected to feature in Saturday’s Premier League match against bottom club Norwich.
There has, though, been no official confirmation from United on a likely return date for the England international.
Given United’s key run of fixtures coming up – which includes a trip to Premier League leaders Liverpool on January 19 – an extended absence for the £80million former Leicester player would represent a significant blow.
The boss had some news on @HarryMaguire93 following last night's #CarabaoCup match 👇#MUFC— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 8, 2020
When addressing the issue following the defeat by City, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been optimistic Maguire would not be out for long.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
“We don’t know (about Maguire). He’s not going to be long term, but I don’t think he’ll be ready for the weekend, but let’s see,” Solskjaer said.
Phil Jones, meanwhile, is expected to shake off a bout of cramp to be available against Norwich if needed.
“It’s his first 90 minutes for a while (since October) and he came through it,” Solskjaer said.
FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.