Rashford Avoids Ankle Ligament Damage In Manchester Derby Win
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has not suffered ligament damage after injuring his ankle in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Manchester City.
However, scans have revealed bruising and swelling around Rashford’s ankle and he is highly unlikely to be part of the squad for Thursday’s Europa League tie with AC Milan.
Rashford was forced off in the 73rd minute of the derby and United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed after the game the 23-year-old picked up a knock after sprinting back to make a tackle as City broke forward.
“It is one of them. It was a great recovery run, a recovery sprint, he saved maybe a goal, so he sacrificed himself for the team,” Solskjaer told the club’s official website on Sunday.
United were without Edinson Cavani for the trip to the Etihad, who had to come off during the squad’s final training session before the game on Saturday.
Solskjaer’s side face AC Milan at Old Trafford in the first leg of the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, before hosting West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Neville: ‘Surprising win’ a platform for Man Utd
Gary Neville says United must build on their “surprising” win at Manchester City with a strong finish to the season to boost their chances of closing the gap next year.
Solskjaer’s side ended their rivals’ 28-game unbeaten run but despite the win, City’s advantage over second-placed United still stands at a comfortable 11 points.
“We know they’re not quite ready yet [to win the title] and that’s proven over the last couple of months but finish the season well,” the Sky Sports pundit said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
“I’ve talked today about finishing a poor second or a good second. A poor second is whereby it fades out towards the end of the season and becomes a bit of a poor league, City win it easily, and you end up 20 points off and you’re nowhere near still.
“Whereas actually if you can go and get within seven or eight points of City it will count for something. When Liverpool were chasing City down over that two or three, four years, they were getting closer every single year.
“These 10 games Man Utd have left are really important. They’ve got to finish a good second. They could be caught by Leicester and other teams but I do think they’re the second-best team in the country this season.
“If they’re not to finish second it would be a real problem but if they are going to finish second be a good second, not a poor second.”