Manchester United were already cursing the fact that Zlatan Ibrahimovic's elbow on Tyrone Mings meant that the big Swede, the source of the overwhelming majority of the team's goals this season, would miss Monday's FA Cup clash away to Chelsea, but reports emerging from the BBC this evening suggest a far bigger problem.
No Zlatan was bad enough, and with Anthony Martial also believed to be ruled out due to injury most of the fans were hoping that Marcus Rashford would be given a chance through the middle, but it has emerged today at the 19-year-old has come down with an illness and will not be fit to play.
That means that Wayne Rooney would be turned to, and be given a chance to work his way back into the side on a more regular basis, but as luck would have it he is now reportedly not fit to play due to a training ground injury caused by a challenge with Phil Jones (apparently it wasn't his fault, before any Man United fans shout 'AGAIN!?').
Simon Stone of the BBC reported the news on Sunday evening.
Wayne Rooney out of @ManUtd game at Chelsea after coming off worse in training ground collision with Phil Jones. No blame to Jones.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) March 12, 2017
Anthony Martial (injury) + Marcus Rashford (ill) out. Severity of Rooney injury not known but couldn't complete session. Eng squad on Thurs.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) March 12, 2017
The only other recognised striker near the first team squad is James Wilson, who is also injured.
So what are the alternatives?
Well, either way, it does not look great for Man Utd fans.
The first, and undoubtedly the least popular option, is to deploy Marouane Fellaini as a makeshift striker. This would see Mourinho adopt a defensive style similar to the one seen early in the season at Anfield and launch balls for the big Belgian in the hopes of something falling to Mkhitaryan or Mata.
The alternative is to play Henrikh Mkhitaryan as a sort of 'false nine' striker and hope that his inevitable interchanging with whoever is picked in the attacking positions, most likely Mata, Lingard, and Young, can get up in support.
There is a chance that Rashford could recover in time, but at the moment he is being reported as 'out' so it seems as though a tough task just got tougher.
