Manchester United face alarming reality after shocking comment exposed injury problem

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Kobbie Mainoo is set to be out for a few weeks and his lay-off might have been avoidable.

Mainoo has been sidelined with what has been described as a 'muscle injury' and it's interesting to look at how he's been handled since his substitution against Tottenham last month. The youngster was brought off just before half-time in that game having looked to tweak his hamstring, but he was present in open training just a few days later.

A source suggested that Mainoo had some knee-related pain and although he travelled to FC Porto in the Europa League he was left out of the matchday squad and United indicated it was a precaution due to a 'minor issue'.

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It was sensible to omit Mainoo but he was then passed fit to start against Aston Villa just three days later. He played 85 minutes in the goalless draw at Villa Park before being replaced by Casemiro and subsequently withdrew from the England squad for the October international break.

Again, United said that was a precaution, but they have now confirmed he will be out for a few weeks and that begs the question, why did Mainoo start against Villa? He will undoubtedly want to play every game but the decision should have been taken out of his hands. United decided he was fine to play against Villa and now he has been sidelined with a muscle problem, holes can be poked in that call.

There are questions for Ten Hag and his medical staff to answer. They will have a reason for passing Mainoo fit but might regret giving him the green light, with the benefit of hindsight.

Mainoo's injury could just be bad luck - injuries are part of the game - but starting him three days after leaving him out of a squad as a precaution doesn't appear good management.

In the summer, Luke Shaw felt it was necessary to go on record to say he was mishandled by the medical staff. Shaw was asked to start a game once every 2.8 days immediately after recovering from a muscle injury last term and it was no surprise to see him pick up another injury.

“It’s kind of everyone’s fault," said Shaw. "Partly my fault, partly medical staff, I think everyone would admit that. I felt something against Aston Villa and came off at half-time. "The scan came back and there wasn’t too much there. But I didn’t train all week, then trained the day before the game. If the manager asks me to play, I’m never going to say no."

Shaw's comments set alarm bells ringing about how injuries are being handled at United, and you don't need to be a medical expert to understand why it was asking for trouble to start Shaw in successive games over a short period of time after sustaining muscle injuries.

Has history repeated itself with Mainoo? The answer might be no, but it's fair to question how he's been handled, especially considering he isn't even 20 years old yet.

Ten Hag is understood to have privately conceded he overplayed Mainoo last season but felt it necessary due to the team's predicament and his options being depleted. While that is understandable, lessons should have been learnt and Mainoo should have been handled better in this campaign.

Mainoo has practically played non-stop since breaking into the first-team and he was heavily involved in England's campaign at Euro 2024 after the group stages in Germany.

The silver lining of the midfielder being ruled out for a few weeks is it guarantees his body time to recover and he got the chance to enjoy some sun when making a trip to Dubai last week.

A Premier League injury report was published this week and revealed rising injury severity among Under-21 players. They were sidelined for an average of 44 days per injury last season, a 187 per cent increase from 2020/21.

The demands of modern football on young players are becoming too much and it will have a harmful effect on their careers down the line, just like it did with someone like Michael Owen, who was overplayed as a teenager and felt the consequences by struggling with injuries.

United want to enjoy Mainoo's talent for the next 10 years and must handle him carefully.

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