NFLNBANHLMLBWNBARoland-GarrosSoccer
Featured Video
Mbappé's Rollercoaster Season 🎢
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: An injured Marcus Rashford of Manchester United  during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at London Stadium on September 22, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: An injured Marcus Rashford of Manchester United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at London Stadium on September 22, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)Henry Browne/Getty Images

Marcus Rashford to Miss Man United vs. Arsenal, but Injury 'Not Very, Very Bad'

Christopher SimpsonSep 25, 2019

Marcus Rashford will miss Manchester United's clash with Arsenal on Monday with a groin injury, but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to have him back soon.

Rashford suffered the injury in United's 2-0 defeat to West Ham United on Sunday and was absent for Wednesday's Carabao Cup penalty shootout win over Rochdale.

Per MailOnline's David Wood, Solskjaer said of Rashford ahead of the game: "He's recovering. He's not very, very bad, so we hope to see him before the international break."

TOP NEWS

Real Madrid CF v Girona FC - LaLiga EA Sports
Real Betis V Real Madrid - Laliga Ea Sports

Anthony Martial is also injured, having missed the Red Devils' last five matches in all competitions with a thigh problem.

United sold Romelu Lukaku and loaned Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan in the summer but did not add another forward to their ranks to replace them.

As such, it has fallen on Mason Greenwood to fill in while Martial and Rashford are out. The 17-year-old, who scored the winner in United's recent 1-0 UEFA Europa League victory over Astana, opened the scoring on Wednesday when he rifled home a low effort.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 25: Mason Greenwood of Manchester United celebrates scoring during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Rochdale at Old Trafford on September 25, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Visionhaus)

Rochdale took the game to penalties after equalising through Luke Matheson, but the hosts triumphed at Old Trafford 5-3 in the shootout, with Greenwood among those to convert a spot-kick.

Solskjaer said the youngster will get his chance, per the Press Association (h/t MailOnline):

"He has two great feet and [took the] penalty with his right, so he must be a nightmare for defenders having him one on one in the box.

"He can go both ways, which is for me fantastic, and you can just see he has got quality and he will get his share of games.

"But he is young, we'll allow him to grow slowly but surely."

Greenwood missed the West Ham game through illness, meaning the manager had to resort to deploying Jesse Lingard up front when Rashford needed to be withdrawn.

Football commentator Tim Long suggested Greenwood would be an upgrade on Rashford when he gets in the side:

As Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News observed, Greenwood's goal on Wednesday perhaps demonstrated as much:

Rashford has netted three times this season, but two were penalties. Last season, he found the net on just three occasions after February 3, and one of those was from the spot.

The 21-year-old has been playing against top-flight and UEFA Champions League opposition, though, while Greenwood has yet to be significantly tested at the top level. Arsenal will be the toughest test of the teenager's career if he starts on Monday.

United only have two further fixtures before the international break⁠—away at AZ Alkmaar and Newcastle United⁠—and Rashford could be back for one or both of those games if his recovery is on track.

Greenwood will have to shoulder the burden in the meantime, and while it's a valuable opportunity for an exciting prospect, it's an indictment of the Red Devils' recruitment over the summer that he's been thrust into this position.

Mbappé's Rollercoaster Season 🎢

TOP NEWS

Real Madrid CF v Girona FC - LaLiga EA Sports
Real Betis V Real Madrid - Laliga Ea Sports
United States v Japan - International Friendly
FIFA World Cup 2026 Venues - New York New Jersey Stadium

TRENDING ON B/R