Manchester United’s Patrick Dorgu is set to miss around 10 weeks with a hamstring injury.
The 21-year-old sustained the injury while chasing a long ball in the second half of United’s 3-2 win at league leaders Arsenal on Sunday, in which he scored a half-volley from just outside the box.
United are still assessing the extent of the injury, with a timeline still not totally certain.
The injury is a significant blow to United. After primarily being used as a wing-back under former head coach Ruben Amorim, Dorgu has been deployed as a left winger in a 4-2-3-1 by interim head coach Michael Carrick. He started and scored in the wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.
Ten weeks out would see Dorgu miss the club’s next eight matches and put him in line for a return after March’s international break, with United taking on Leeds United on April 11.
Carrick said in his press conference after the Arsenal game that he hoped that the injury was not too serious and Dorgu had “hopefully” come off with cramp .
He joins centre-back Matthijs de Ligt on the sidelines, who has missed the last 11 games with a back issue sustained in early December.
Dorgu has featured 22 times in the Premier League this season, recording three goals and three assists.
The Denmark international signed for United on February 2 last year, joining from Serie A club Lecce for £25million ($33.7m) and has made 44 appearances for the side to date.
Additional reporting: Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
‘A cruel blow’
Analysis from Manchester United correspondent Mark Critchley
Dorgu’s injury is a cruel blow to both United and the player himself, arriving on the back of his best week since arriving at Old Trafford a year ago.
Sunday’s spectacular strike at the Emirates followed another goal in the Manchester derby the previous weekend.
Add those to Boxing Day’s goal of the month contender against Newcastle United, Dorgu had scored three times in his five recent appearances when deployed further forward rather than as a left wing-back.
That new, more advanced role had reinvigorated a player who had struggled for form and consistency since joining in a €30m move from Lecce, so much so that former head coach Ruben Amorim said he could feel Dorgu’s “anxiety” from the touchline. The Denmark international has looked anything but anxious of late.
Matheus Cunha is an obvious replacement on the left wing and will surely be restored to the starting line-up by Michael Carrick in Dorgu’s absence, but given how well Dorgu has been playing recently, that absence will still be felt.