Report: Manchester United's Harry Maguire's Injury Diagnosed as Torn Hip Muscle

Manchester United will reportedly be without Harry Maguire for a "sustained spell" after the defender was diagnosed with a torn hip muscle.

James Ducker of The Telegraph relayed the news, with United also dealing with injuries to midfielders Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay.

The centre-back was absent for United's 3-1 loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday because of a knock he suffered against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 0-0 draw in the FA Cup third round.

The news of Maguire's extended absence will be a blow, as the club had not expected to be without him for long.

After the semi-final first-leg loss to the Sky Blues, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made assurances Maguire's injury was not serious, but he said the defender's availability for the visit of Norwich City was in doubt: "We don't know [how long he'll be out for]. It is not going to be a long term one. But I don't think he will be ready for the weekend. Let's see."

United signed Maguire for £80 million from Leicester City in the summer to help bolster their fragile back line.

He has been a solid, if unspectacular, presence in the centre of defence in 2019-20, playing every minute of United's 21 Premier League games.

With the Englishman marshalling the back line, United's defensive record this season stands at 25 goals conceded in 21 league games, an average of just under 1.2 per match.

That is some way below the record of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who have conceded 0.7 goals per game since the start of 2019-20 league campaign.

But it is an improvement on last term, when United conceded 54 goals at a rate of 1.4 per game:

Maguire is the most consistent defender Solskjaer has to call upon, so his return will be eagerly anticipated.

The 26-year-old joins a long list of United defenders sidelined, which also includes Eric Bailly, Marcos Rojo and Axel Tuanzebe:

Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof are likely to start against Norwich as they did on Tuesday because they are the only two conventional centre-backs Solskjaer has available.

Per Mathieson, Jones was seen limping during the second half against the Sky Blues, but Solskjaer confirmed afterward "it was just cramp."