Manchester United are reportedly growing increasingly concerned that Raphael Varane's ankle injury could sideline him for the remainder of the season.
The former France international was one of two serious defensive casualties in the first leg of the Red Devils' Europa League quarter-final with Sevilla, coming off at half time after going down towards the end of the first 45.
It subsequently emerged that Varane had exacerbated a previous ankle injury, and Man United announced that the issue would rule the 29-year-old out for a number of weeks.
Without the former Real Madrid man in the backline, Man United slumped to a 3-0 second-leg loss to Sevilla - bowing out 5-2 on aggregate on a night of calamitous defending.
Despite the severe nature of his problem, Varane was initially expected to return before the campaign reached its conclusion, but a report from The Mirror has poured doubt on those hopes.
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The outlet states that Varane's ankle had been giving him grief for the past month, and scans revealed an issue that could take as many as six weeks to heal fully.
Should the timeframe prove accurate, Varane would be unlikely to return for any of Man United's final eight Premier League fixtures in another devastating blow to their hopes of Champions League qualification.
The 29-year-old has not been without his critics since arriving at Old Trafford in 2021, but his experience has proven invaluable to Man United, who won their first trophy in six seasons in the EFL Cup earlier this term.
Varane has come up with one goal and one assist in 59 matches for Erik ten Hag's side in all tournaments, but previous leg and ankle concerns mean that he has been restricted to just 19 Premier League starts this term.
Barely an hour after Varane was withdrawn against Sevilla, his regular centre-back partner Lisandro Martinez was carried off the field with a season-ending metatarsal fracture, leaving Ten Hag with limited options to protect David de Gea.
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Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof unsurprisingly paired up in Thursday's second leg with Sevilla, but the former was at fault for the Palanganas' opener as Man United crashed out of Europe with a whimper.
Maguire will now serve a suspension for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Brighton & Hove Albion, and Phil Jones is not being considered for a first-team revival, having failed to complete a single training session all season due to his troublesome knee.
As a result, Lindelof will likely be partnered by makeshift centre-back Luke Shaw, but the Englishman was not moving comfortably towards the end of Thursday's game, having only just shaken off a hamstring issue himself.
Man United will also be without Donny van de Beek, Alejandro Garnacho and Tom Heaton for Sunday's clash, but Anthony Martial was seen walking with the rest of the squad on Saturday after limping off against Sevilla.
The winner of Sunday's semi-final will take on Manchester City in the showpiece event after Pep Guardiola's side ran out comfortable 3-0 winners over Sheffield United on Saturday.
Ben Knapton
