Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund Limp Off in 2-1 Defeat
Manchester United endured a double injury setback during their pre-season friendly against Arsenal, with Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund both forced off the field. The Red Devils were defeated 2-1 by their Premier League rivals in Los Angeles.
Rasmus Hojlund put Manchester United ahead just 10 minutes into the match, capitalizing on a through ball from Marcus Rashford and slotting it past goalkeeper Karl Hein. However, just five minutes later, Hojlund was seen limping off the pitch, raising concerns for United’s attacking options.
The situation worsened for United when their new £52 million signing, Leny Yoro, went down off the ball and had to be taken off immediately.
Speaking to MUTV, manager Erik ten Hag said, “We have to wait 24 hours and then we will hopefully know more. We were very careful, especially with Leny. It is disappointing he had to come off, but let’s be positive and see what comes out.”
Arsenal equalized through Gabriel Jesus in the 25th minute, and Gabriel Martinelli secured the win with a goal nine minutes from time. The match concluded with a pre-arranged shootout, where Jadon Sancho scored the decisive spot-kick, giving United a 4-3 victory on penalties.
The injuries to Yoro and Hojlund come as a significant blow to Ten Hag, who faced a challenging 2023/24 season marred by injuries. Last season, United recorded 45 separate injury cases, the highest in the past 20 years, affecting 21 different players who collectively missed 1,620 days.
“That’s really too much. We are not the only team that struggled with injuries; other clubs had the same,” Ten Hag told the Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad in July. “Last season, we had constant injuries for players in the same positions, all at the back. At one point, we had almost no defenders available.”
Reflecting on the team’s struggles, Ten Hag added, “When we started here, United hadn’t won a trophy for six years, and it really wasn’t because they didn’t have good managers here. It does say something about the composition and quality of the player group. We were and still are in that process [of building]. If you compare our squad with other top clubs in the Premier League, we are certainly a bit less in terms of depth. That is exactly why we found it so difficult to deal with those injuries.”
United’s pre-season schedule continues with a match against Real Betis on Thursday, followed by a clash with Liverpool next Sunday. They will then face rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 10, before starting their Premier League campaign at home against Fulham on August 16.
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