Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal complained that the New Year had brought no change of fortune on the injury front following his side’s 1-1 draw against Stoke City.
His year got off to the worst possible start as United fell behind to an early Ryan Shawcross goal at the Britannia Stadium on Thursday and although they equalized, they lost Ashley Young to injury.
Young limped off with a hamstring injury and could be sidelined for a month.
Photo: Reuters
“It looks like four weeks, but I am not a doctor,” said Van Gaal, whose side earned a point thanks to a 26th-minute equalizer by Radamel Falcao.
United’s manager was quick to highlight the concerns he has over injuries after a busy festive program of matches.
“You have seen, for example, that Ashley Young could not bear that load,” he said.
Young will be one absentee when United begin their FA Cup campaign with a potential banana skin against League One strugglers Yeovil Town tomorrow.
“I will have to check on my players tomorrow [yesterday] and then again the day after before we can begin to plan for the FA Cup match,” Van Gaal said.
“The FA Cup is the shortest route to success, so we are very interested and my players are also very interested I think,” he added.
Elsewhere, freshly appointed West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis watched from the stands as his new club drew 1-1 at West Ham United, with Saido Berahino canceling out Diafra Sakho’s neatly constructed 10th-minute opener.
The result kept West Brom a point above the relegation zone.
Alan Pardew was in the stands to watch Palace draw 0-0 against Aston Villa, ahead of his expected appointment as the successor to the sacked Neil Warnock.
Substitute Wilfried Bony earned Swansea City a 1-1 draw against Queens Park Rangers, canceling out Leroy Fer’s 20th-minute thunderbolt with a cool stoppage-time strike.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Elmohamady and Nikica Jelavic scored unanswered goals as Hull City condemned Everton to a fourth straight loss.
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