The international break went from bad to worse for Manchester United after Marcus Rashford was subbed off injured against Malta.
The United man was taken off in the 61st minute, paving the way for Cole Palmer’s debut.
Rashford got injured in extraordinary circumstances, as he collided with teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold while they both ran towards the ball.
The incident happened in the 57th minute with the score 1-0. Alexander-Arnold played a beautiful pass to Rashford from his own half which the United man controlled expertly.
He was closed down before he could get the shot off, which was eventually cleared to the edge of the box by Malta.
The Liverpool and United players ran towards the ball at full speed, eventually bumping into each other, causing a huge impact.
Rashford soldiered on for about five more minutes, before Gareth Southgate subbed him off for Cole Palmer.
The news comes after Andre Onana was subbed off for Cameroon after sustaining an injury of his own.
Rashford and Onana are some of the first names on the teamsheet at United, irrespective of their current form, especially Rashford’s.
In Onana’s case, Altay Bayindir will need to step up but in Rashford’s case, attacking reinforcements are slim pickings.
Antony had been dropped due to poor form while Jadon Sancho’s self-imposed exile meant that Ten Hag was consistently starting Garnacho and Rashford on the wings.
It’s not clear yet what the extent of either injury is, and the wait now begins for the update from the respective national team managers before more can be said.
However, for Erik ten Hag, an international break which was looked at as the time for his injured stars to return without missing fixtures, has instead turned into a nightmare in a season full of them.