Eight Manchester United players are currently injured.

(Baonghean.vn) - Eric Baillyand Luke Shaw was injured in the match againstSwansea in the 35th round of the Premier League. At this point, the Red Devils no longer have a single true center-back at their disposal as the season enters its crucial stage.

Before the match, manager Jose Mourinho had lost six players to injury: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

Fortunately, midfielder Juan Mata has just recovered from injury, and the Spanish player was included in Manchester United's squad for the recent match. The injury list also includes Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who are all regular center-backs for MU.

Luke Shaw is the seventh Manchester United player to suffer an injury. Photo: Internet.

With recent injuries to Bailly and Luke Shaw, Manchester United now only have two fit defenders left: Daley Blind and Darmian.

These two players had to play as center-backs in the recent match against Swansea. Valencia and Young, who are originally midfielders, played on the wings. This was quite unusual, because in that match the Swansea players didn't play with excessive aggression or roughness.

Just nine minutes into the match, Luke Shaw was substituted for Antonio Valencia. With about 15 minutes remaining, Eric Bailly suffered an injury after a collision with Llorente in the middle of the pitch.

Defender Eric Bailly suffered an injury after a collision with Llorente in the middle of the pitch. Photo: Internet.

Mourinho might be right: “People can’t judge a game based solely on this one match. The game against Swansea was our ninth game this April. Our players are very tired.” The demanding schedule makes players very susceptible to injury, Mourinho joked: “With this kind of schedule, a player could break a leg just going to the toilet.”

Besides the race for a Top 4 finish in the Premier League, Man United also have two semi-final matches against Celta Vigo in the Europa League. Perhaps Mourinho's choice of Daley Blind and Darmian as central defenders is just a temporary solution; Carrick will likely partner Blind in the Europa League.

Mourinho now has a young center-back in McTominay, but he hasn't started a single game yet, so his chances of playing are slim. In this context, MU will probably prioritize "attacking to defend" as Martial, Lingard, Herrera, and Rashford are all in good form.

AT