Manchester United will try to move on quickly from their late collapse against Sevilla in midweek, but the absence of their two best defenders will be a lasting reminder of the damage that was done.
United head into next week's second leg in Spain with a strong chance of making it into the final four of the Europa League, though those chances of progression have certainly diminished following their latest injury update.
Raphael Varane will miss a few weeks after he was withdrawn with an injury at half-time of the match. It is the eighth separate illness or injury he has suffered in less than two years at the club, forcing him to miss 25 matches already.
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The Frenchman should be back in action by next month. Lisandro Martinez is just hoping to be back in action by next season after being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Any team would miss two of their best players, but the absence is harder felt by a United side whose resurgence has been underpinned by their world-class defensive partnership.
Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof will both be tasked with replacing them over the coming matches, while Luke Shaw could be drafted in at centre-back, particularly with club captain Maguire suspended for the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton next week.
Shaw is well accustomed to the auxiliarry role in the centre of defence, but he is not the only wildcard solution that Ten Hag has to help ease the defensive burden.
Another option would be to move fellow full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka into a central role. The 25-year-old has been rejuvenated since the World Cup and is certainly playing with the confidence required to make such a position switch.
Wan-Bissaka has often been criticised for being too defensive-minded for a right-back, but those traits would work in his favour if moved centrally.
He probably doesn't have the physicality or passing ability to be a starter in this role, though there is an argument to move him there during a match if they need to freshen things up or adjust their style of play.
Ten Hag could also add to his central defensive options by temporarily repurposing two of his central midfielders.
Scott McTominay has impressed in a deep midfield role over the past few weeks and has the physicality and athleticism to fill in at centre-back if required.
The 26-year-old has played there a number of times already throughout his career and experienced a brief spell when that was his favoured role at international level.
It is a similar story with Casemiro. He has been a revelation at Old Trafford this season, not only with his creativity in midfield but with his defensive qualities as well.
The Brazilian even filled in at centre-back during the Carabao Cup win over Burnley last December and could certainly do a job there while they wait for Varane to return.
United's issue is that they would be losing arguably their most influential midfielder, though they do at least have a few options in that area to compensate for his possible short-term absence.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and United might need to consider a wildcard solution.
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