When Raphael Varane sat down on the San Siro turf yesterday, Manchester United hearts must have been in Manchester United mouths.
When Varane hobbled off the pitch, not to be seen again for the remainder of the Nations League final between France and Spain, alarm bells at Old Trafford started to wail.
Although the defender was smiling at the final whistle – France won the game 2-1 – the joy only masked the internal pain.
A possible thigh injury maimed the centre-back, leaving him with strapping on said limb.
He is set to undergo scans upon his return to Carrington on Tuesday.
With Leicester City the next Premier League test for United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be praying for a positive outcome.
But as it stands, Varane is unlikely to face the Foxes on Saturday.
Which leaves the Red Devils in a bit of a defensive pickle.
Who are United’s replacements?
Harry Maguire is already lying on the treatment table, thanks to an ankle problem sustained at the start of the month.
Luke Shaw is only just back from a period on the sidelines, having missed England’s latest international squad.
United could therefore tackle Leicester without three of their first-choice defenders.
Perhaps more poignantly, the possible absence of Maguire and Varane means Solskjaer will be forced into deploying an undesirable centre-half partnership.
Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly look set to link up for only the second time this season.
The first was the awful Carabao Cup defeat to West Ham United.
They have only previously played 28 times together; certainly not the sign of a stable combination.
Alternatively, Solskjaer could hand Phil Jones a first league call-up since January 2020.
Halloween’s fangs can be seen over the horizon and that sentence alone is enough to give United supporters nightmares.
Jones up against Jamie Vardy? A horror story waiting to happen.
Scott McTominay has played at centre-half for Scotland before, but this feels like a last resort option.
Still searching for perfection
Weighing up all the alternatives, none really suggest a solid foundation from which to build upon.
It also highlights United’s deficiencies when their main men aren’t available.
Much like Liverpool’s situation last term.
Virgil van Dijk’s long omission, coupled with various other injuries, virtually handed the title over to Manchester City.
City, a team able to call upon some decent debutants for their wounded stars.
As can Chelsea, who seemingly have a bottomless pit of quality in reserve.
Perhaps United need to dip back into the market as soon as possible, to bolster their own ranks.
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