On Friday evening, Manchester United were dealt a crushing double blow.
It was confirmed that star signing Lisandro Martinez 's season was over due to a fractured metatarsal and impressive centre-back partner Raphael Varane would be ruled out for a few weeks due to his own injury.
But what's flown under the radar amid the newly-formed crisis is how Harry Maguire, the man who's played backup to the pair for much of this season, will also be unavailable for one of United's biggest games of the run-in. After picking up two yellow cards in the previous rounds, club captain Maguire will miss next Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Brighton at Wembley.
His absence - added to the injuries which Martinez and Varane sustained in Thursday's Europa League semi-final at home to Sevilla - leaves manager Erik ten Hag will slim pickings at centre-back. Having been on the fringes even more than Maguire of late, Victor Lindelof the only player fit, available and naturally-suited to the role for next weekend.
Luke Shaw, a left-back by trade, can slot in alongside him, but his hamstring injury has fans fearing that the Red Devils could be forced to turn to an emergency solution. Midfield general Casemiro is able to slot into the centre of defence but United would be losing his qualities further up the pitch which recently have proven crucial during his now-completed four-match suspension.
The same goes for Casemiro's understudy, Scott McTominay, who boasts experience playing as a centre-back at international level for Scotland. The injury-ridden Phil Jones, who's out of contract in June after 12 seasons at Old Trafford, is yet to feature since Ten Hag was appointed nearly a year ago but could be a left-field option.
Or the Dutch coach could turn to the club's academy in his time of need, with highly-rated centre-back Teden Mengi - who broke through under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and has two senior appearances to his name - on the verge of returning to full fitness. Mengi, 20, was stretchered off during a friendly against Real Betis in December and hasn't played since.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, academy staff have earmarked the under-21s match against Leicester next Monday as the ideal fixture for Mengi's return, meaning that it'd be a tough ask to play such an important game for the first team only five days later. Another youth option is under-18 defender Rhys Bennett, who captained the Red Devils to the FA Youth Cup last May.
While it's unclear which option Ten Hag will select, the United manager has told his fringe players that they must be ready to step up to the plate - or move on. "We have a squad - we have more than 11 starters - so now others are on and, when their time is there, you have to show and contribute to the team, you have to be ready," Ten Hag stated on Friday.
Have your say! How should Ten Hag deal without Maguire for the semi-final? Give us your line-up in the comments section.
"That is what we expect and that is what we demand. If you find excuses, if you want to find excuses, you have to look for another club. When the moment is there you have to contribute and that is what we demand.
"We have to adapt in the squad, we have to use the squad, that is also what we did against Sevilla. You need a tactical approach to win the games. We have good players, but we have injuries, suspensions, so we adapt to the squad."
The Red Devils' first game without Martinez and Varane comes on Sunday, as they travel to face struggling Nottingham Forest.
