The news that Marcus Rashford needs surgery on a shoulder injury has indeed dealt a significant blow to Manchester United.
Rashford, who has also endured racist abuse after his missed penalty in England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy on Sunday, is now expected to be out of action until the end of October.
The 23-year-old striker – who had already been hampered by the shoulder muscle tear last season and was picked in the Euro squad despite not being 100 per cent fit – underwent a scan on Tuesday resulting in surgery being the only option. The snag is that the operation will not take place for a couple of weeks hence it is likely he will be out of action for 12 weeks with an outside chance of returning for United’s Premier League match against Liverpool at Old Trafford on October 23rd.
The news comes as a further blow to Rashford since the Euro 2020 final defeat as he and teammates Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were immediately targeted for racial abuse online after they missed penalties in the shootout defeat. Rashford’s mural in Withington, Manchester, was also vandalized but has since been covered in messages of support by the community.
On Monday, Rashford issued a statement apologizing for his miss but was adamant that he “will never apologise for who I am”.
He added: “I’ve had a difficult season, I think that’s been clear for everyone to see and I probably went into that final with a lack of confidence.”