Manchester United are set to be without midfielder Christian Eriksen for at least three months after he suffered an ankle injury during Saturday's FA Cup win over Reading.
The 30-year-old left Old Trafford on crutches after being on the wrong end of a reckless challenge from Andy Carroll in the Reds' 3-1 victory over the Championship side.
Eriksen went for a scan on the injury and the club have confirmed that the Denmark international is facing a lengthy lay-off. United are hopeful that he will play again before the end of the season, but his return is likely to come in late April or early May.
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While Erik ten Hag suggested that it would be Fred, who scored the third goal for United on Saturday, who will replace Eriksen in the months ahead, the Dane will be missed.
Given that the Reds face a hectic fixture schedule in the coming months, the club is looking to make a late move to sign a replacement midfielder on loan. MEN Sport looked at four players who the Reds could look at...
Marcel Sabitzer
According to Sky Sports Germany and BILD, United and Chelsea are both interested in a late move for Bayern Munich ace Marcel Sabitzer - with the German club thought to be open to sending him out on loan.
The midfielder, who is under contract in Bavaria until 2025, has made 24 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit so far this season, but only 11 of those have come as a starter. He has registered just one goal and assist this term, but managed 52 goals and 42 assists for RB Leipzig before moving to the Allianz Arena.
Ryan Gravenberch
The 20-year-old Dutch midfielder was one of the standout performers in Ten Hag's Ajax side during the 2021/22 campaign. His form earned him a move to Bayern in the summer transfer window, but his time in Germany has not gone to plan since then.
Gravenberch has only played 590 minutes for Bayern in all competitions and is yet to start a game in the Bundesliga under Julian Nagelsmann. With the midfielder struggling for minutes with the German champions, a loan move would certainly benefit his progression - and reuniting with his former manager might be good for both parties.
He is unlikely to leave Bayern on a permanent deal in the latter stages of this month's transfer window, but with Gravenberch capable of coming in and starting for United, a loan move makes a lot of sense.
Franck Kessie
While Franck Kessie has made 21 appearances for Barcelona this season, only seven of those have come as a starter. The 26-year-old was electric for AC Milan during his time in Italy, but the midfielder has struggled for minutes under Xavi.
Despite Kessie's lack of action, Xavi insisted that he was keen to keep hold of the player. However, with the Ivory Coast international having fallen down the pecking order at Camp Nou, a loan move until the end of the season could benefit both the player and the Catalan giants.
United have been tentatively linked with the midfielder in recent transfer windows, but he has never been one of the Reds' main transfer targets. Despite this, he would be a brilliant stop-gap between now and the end of the campaign.
Youri Tielemans
This is certainly more unlikely than the other options, but with Youri Tielemans' contract with Leicester City expiring at the end of the current season, it could be worth testing their resolve with a loan offer. The Foxes are expected to lose him for nothing in the summer, so the Reds could offer a fee to bring him to Old Trafford for the final few months of this campaign.
While Leicester are almost certainly going to reject any offers for the Belgian, the 25-year-old appears set on a move away and could be tempted by a stint with the Reds.
Tielemans has registered four goals and one assist this season, having made more than 180 appearances for the Foxes since joining the club.
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