Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Antonio Valencia has been sidelined with a hamstring injury which would keep him out for a considerable period of time.
The Ecuador international has been ever-present in the United ranks this term, but he had to go off at the hour mark during the 2-1 Premier League win over West Bromwich Albion.
In the aftermath of the game, Mourinho described that the problem was sustained due to fatigue, but he is unaware of the exact time frame over the right-back’s injury setback.
“Valencia’s injury is what I call a ‘December injury’. It is normal. Hamstring. Big, small, medium, I don’t know. Let’s wait [on the timeframe]. I think he is an experienced guy to not let it go to difficult limits. But it is an injury of fatigue,” he is quoted as saying by The Star.
Valencia has been a solid performer for United on the right side of the defence, and his absence could potentially see one of Matteo Darmian or Ashley Young slot into the position.
Young has done extremely well as the make-shift left-back this term, and the injury could be a blessing in disguise for Luke Shaw, who recently made his first Premier League start of the campaign versus Bournemouth.
The England international has been yearning for gametime since September, and Young’s potential switch to right-back could earn him a regular run in the left-back spot, where he has managed just two starts this term across all competitions.
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