Rasmus Hojlund ruled out of Manchester derby as Manchester United confirm injury
Rasmus Hojlund will miss next month's Manchester derby after suffering a muscle injury, Manchester United have confirmed.
The Norwegian will miss “two or three weeks” of action, starting with Saturday's clash against Fulham at Old Trafford.
His absence is a blow for United, who have seen the 21-year-old flourish in recent weeks after a difficult start to life at the club.
Hojlund has scored in each of his last seven games in all competitions, helping United move into the top four.
The striker was quick to score last weekend, scoring after 37 seconds as the Red Devils claimed their third consecutive league win away at Luton.
This goal was his 13th of the season in all competitions and further evidence of his growing confidence under Erik ten Hag.
United have shown signs of recovery, but losing Hojlund will undoubtedly be a blow to the club's hopes of closing the gap to the top four.
United are currently sixth, five points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, and the momentum is firmly on their side.
Hojlund could miss United's remaining games until the international break in March.
Among the games he is likely to miss are the FA Cup clash at Nottingham Forest, next weekend's Manchester derby and home clashes against Sheffield United and Brentford.
Ten Hag hopes to have enough firepower to control his team's run of games in Hojlund's absence.
However, a brake on Hojlund's momentum will frustrate both Ten Hag and his striker, who has proven to be United's talisman in recent weeks.
Hojlund joined United from Serie A club Atalanta for £72m in the summer, but did not register his first league goal until Boxing Day.
A frustrating start to his career at Old Trafford has taken a turn since the turn of the year, having finally found his goalscoring boot.
