Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford could miss the early part of the new season till the end of October, after deciding to have surgery on a shoulder injury.
Rashford, 23, had a scan on Tuesday after being hampered by the problem in the latter half of the 2020-21 season.
However, the surgeon would not available until the end of July.
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It is anticipated Rashford will be out for 12 weeks, which will be a blow to United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans for the start of the new campaign.
The news emerged on the day Rashford’s England team-mate Jadon Sancho had a medical as his £73m move to United from Borussia Dortmund edged closer.
Rashford scored 11 goals in 37 Premier League appearances last season but did not make a significant impact for England at Euro 2020.
He made five appearances for his country in the tournament but was only on the pitch for a total of 84 minutes then missed a penalty in the shootout as Italy beat Gareth Southgate’s side on penalties in the final.
Rashford – together with Sancho and Bukayo Saka, who also missed their spot-kicks – received racial abuse on social media after the game.
A mural of Rashford in Withington, Manchester, was also defaced.
Rashford mural tributes: ‘Something beautiful out of something negative’
The damage has since been repaired and on Tuesday hundreds of people gathered for an anti-racism demonstration there. People have left hundreds of messages of support and solidarity at the mural.
Rashford recently issued a statement apologising for his penalty miss but said he “will never apologise for who I am”.
The statement 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.” [BBC Sport]
