Romelu Lukaku Only Out 1 Week with Head Injury, Jose Mourinho Says

Romelu Lukaku will only miss a week after he suffered a head injury during Manchester United's goalless draw at home to Southampton on Saturday.

Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho announced the length of his main striker's absence to Sky Sports (h/t Gemma Thompson of the club's official website) on Monday.

Mourinho spoke ahead of United's trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on New Year's Day. He indicated the decision to not risk Lukaku against his former club was about protecting the attacker.

The Belgium international's absence may be a short one, but it further stretched United's options up top. Mourinho revealed on Saturday that fellow striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss a month with a knee problem.

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The manager described how his side needs to adapt, saying, "If we don't have a player like Lukaku or a normal replacement like Zlatan, we have to play with the qualities we have, so we have to forget that we have to play without a target man because we don't have [one]."

Part of adapting to being without a natural centre-forward involved Mourinho choosing a front line that emphasises pace, per BBC Sport:

Anthony Martial's place through the middle will give the Frenchman a chance to prove himself as a traditional striker. However, it's not a role he's tried often during his brief United career, according to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

Martial and Marcus Rashford will be under pressure to prove they can be the main men in attack. Both have potential, but Mourinho needs immediate returns and goals from the pair to maintain the chase behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.