Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee has reportedly been ruled out for several weeks, and could miss the rest of the season.
The summer signing from Bologna limped off during the 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon, with manager Ruben Amorim instantly fearful that it was a serious setback.
Zirkzee netted his seventh goal in Man United colours late on away to Lyon in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final last week, which ultimately earned him a start in the league against Newcastle.
However, early in the second half, the 23-year-old broke down with a hamstring issue that forced him off, being replaced by fellow under-fire attacker Rasmus Hojlund.
Zirkzee and Hojlund have come in for plenty of criticism this season due to the lack of goals both have scored in a tough season for the Red Devils, who need to win the Europa League if they are to ensure European football for next season.
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Amorim to announce Zirkzee update on Wednesday
While no official announcement has yet been made by Amorim, BBC Sport claim that Zirkzee will miss 'several weeks' with the injury sustained over the weekend.
Amorim will speak to the press and likely confirm the news on Wednesday ahead of the second leg against Lyon on Thursday night, where Man United are tied at 2-2 with the French giants, following Rayan Cherki's last-gasp leveller a week ago.
The United boss opted to go with Hojlund from the start at the Groupama Stadium on Thursday, but it was Zirkzee who made the impact, scoring on 88 minutes, but that was not enough for them to take a lead into the return leg.
Hojlund now looks set to get the nod again with Zirkzee sidelined in what is a make-or-break fixture for United's season, with them languishing down in 14th in the Premier League table.
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How many games could Zirkzee miss?
While 'several weeks' could span two-to-three weeks or two-to-three months, the assumption is that Zirkzee has an outside chance of still featuring before the end of the season.
There are just six weeks left of the current campaign, with Man United hopeful of taking part in the Europa League final on May 21, just a few days before their season finale against Aston Villa.
However, if Zirkzee is ruled out for over a month, he will already be fighting hard to make any impact before the season is out, given it may take a week or two to get back to full match fitness.
If United are successful in beating Lyon on Thursday night, they will face Athletic Bilbao or Rangers over two legs on May 1 and May 8, both of which will be too soon for Zirkzee to recover in time.
That could see Hojlund rack up plenty of minutes over the coming weeks, unless Amorim experiments with other options in a central role, such as Bruno Fernandes, who has played as a false nine previously.
Andrew Delaney
