Manchester United fear £195,000-a-week star set to miss the rest of the season with back injury

Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt may not play in the Premier League again until August due to an ongoing back problem, according to reports.

The Netherlands international has not played since November after picking up an injury to his back, with Michael Carrick forced to improvise in defence at times during his reign.

Carrick has utilised Ayden Heaven and relied heavily on Leny Yoro, with Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez also dealing with injuries at times.

“Honestly, it’s difficult to say,” Carrick replied when asked about De Ligt’s injury last month, explaining the issue has been quite complicated and difficult to treat.

“I think it’s just because it’s taken that much time.

“Yeah, I can’t give you any more on it, really. It’s one of those things with backs that, sometimes, you think it’s alright and then, all of a sudden, it’s not quite right.

“So, we’re just kind of being patient and working through it, and we’ll just have to see.

“We’ll obviously give him time and try to get him back as quickly as we can. But it’s really difficult to say. I am not trying to hide anything.

“Literally, at the moment, we don’t know, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

De Ligt facing race against time to be fit for the World Cup

According to a report from Friday’s edition of The Sun, the centre-back looks unlikely to play again this season, which would take his total time on the sidelines to six months and place his World Cup chances in jeopardy.

De Ligt is usually first choice for the Netherlands alongside Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, but they do have plenty of options in that position, with the likes of Micky van de Ven, Nathan Ake and Stefan de Vrij.

It is also a blow for Carrick, who with seven games left to play in the Premier League this season is well on track for Champions League qualification, but is seeing his defensive ranks get thinner by the week.

Maguire is currently suspended following his red card at Bournemouth, while Martinez is hoping to be back after the extended break.

Bruno Fernandes gets ‘goosebumps’ recalling Cristiano Ronaldo return

Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes has recalled the joy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford as he celebrates equalling his return of six Premier League Player of the Month awards.

The 31-year-old midfielder matched his illustrious compatriot on Friday when he picked up the award for March, during which he scored two goals and claimed four assists as United cemented themselves in third place in the table.

Fellow Portugal international Ronaldo won his sixth monthly award in April 2022 during his second spell with the club, who he had rejoined from Juventus during the summer of the previous year.

Asked about players he looked up to in a round-table interview on the club’s official website, Fernandes said: “Cristiano is an easy one for me.

“He is Portuguese and everyone from 2000 – I was born in 1994 – from that age upwards, everyone was looking at him and seeing him.

“He won the Ballon d’Or with the club, which was something very special. All the fans here, when he came back, will never forget that day, when he comes back against Newcastle.

“It was an unforgettable day. He comes back, scores two goals and looks like he never left and everything. The atmosphere in the stadium was crazy that day, probably the best one I have experienced.

“Just the fact of Cristiano coming back, not the rest, but what was created around that, him getting into the pitch, the way he was presented, everything gives goosebumps still to me.”

Ronaldo made his second United debut on September 11, 2021, scoring his side’s first two goals in a 4-1 Premier League home victory over the Magpies.