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Rasmus Højlund injury proves Manchester United have learned from their Marcus Rashford mistake

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Credit: Manchester United

Manchester United’s response to Rasmus Højlund’s back injury show that they have learned from their mistakes when Marcus Rashford suffered a similar problem.

Manchester United recently announced the signing of Rasmus Højlund from Atalanta, with the player joining the Premier League for a fee of £60 million, potentially rising to £72m with add-ons.

However, it has been revealed by Matt Hughes of the Daily Mail that an MRI scan conducted as part of his medical last week “revealed a stress response hotspot in his back” – this can often be the start of a stress fracture in young players.

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This is similar to an injury that Marcus Rashford suffered a few seasons ago, which kept him out of the squad for multiple months in 2020 – a situation that could have been avoided if his more minor problems had been properly dealt with earlier in the season.

The report from Hughes further claims that sources at the club indicate that Højlund’s back injury issue is “more serious than the club disclosed” when his injury was initially announced, and that it is unlikely that the Dane will be able to play two fixtures a week for “some time”.

United’s decision to proceed with extreme caution in relation to Højlund shows that they have certainly learned from their mistakes with Rashford three years ago – it also shows the impact of Gary O’Driscoll, who has been appointed within United’s medical department after switching from being Arsenal’s head of medical.

The club are said to be “adamant” that there are no fundamental problems with Højlund’s back, and that he simply needs a period of rest in order to recover.

United will start their Premier League campaign with a fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday 14 August at Old Trafford.

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