Blind sidelined for up to six weeks

The 24-year-old suffered a medial ligament tear following a challenge in the first half of Netherlands' Euro 2016 qualifying win over Latvia, deepening the club's woes

Manchester United midfielder Daley Blind suffered a tear to his medial collateral ligament during Netherlands’ Euro 2016 qualifier against Latvia on Sunday evening and now faces up to six weeks on the sidelines, the Dutch Football Association have confirmed.

The 24-year-old suffered the knock during a challenge with Eduards Visnakovs in the first half and was quickly replaced by Feyenoord midfielder Jordy Clasie.

Blind did not require a stretcher to leave the pitch but manager Guus Hiddink later admitted that the problem could be serious, before the diagnosis confirmed that he will miss between four to six weeks of action, thus becoming the latest name to join Louis van Gaal's already bloated injury list.

"It doesn't look good. It's his medial ligament. It could be a strain, but it could also be a tear. So that's a big blow," he told reporters.

In United's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace before the international break, Blind was forced to deputise for Marcos Rojo in central defence, as the Argentine continues to recover from a dislocated shoulder.

Michael Carrick started in Blind's midfield role and was called up to Roy Hodgson's England squad before pulling out with a minor groin injury. It is not known whether the 33-year-old will be fit for next Saturday's fixture at Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Phil Jones is unlikely to face Arsene Wenger's side due to a calf problem, but United are hopeful that Jonny Evans could return from an ankle injury.