Manchester United lost two centre-backs last week in the dramatic defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Nobody was surprised to see Raphael Varane drop out of Manchester United’s game with Chelsea at half-time, he had done the same against Brentford.
Jonny Evans was chosen as his replacement and this proved to be an error from Erik ten Hag, with the veteran breaking down after just 20 minutes.
Why didn’t the manager just select Willy Kambwala on? The French whizkid proved an able stand-in against Liverpool.
Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans injury updates
Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans missed Manchester United’s subsequent game against Liverpool, which came as no surprise, with limited recovery period between game.
There has been a week between the Liverpool game and this week’s trip to Bournemouth, so are the pair any closer to a return?
It doesn’t look like it. The Athletic report Varane will now miss ‘several weeks’ of action and is not expected back until May.
Evans has been ruled out of the game against Bournemouth, but does stand a chance of returning for the FA Cup semi-final with Coventry City.
FA Cup semi-final a bigger priority than Bournemouth game
This weekend will see Manchester United take on Bournemouth in the Premier League, a game against a side who won 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Whatever the result, there’s probably little impact on United’s season, a Champions League spot looks very unlikely after picking up just two points from the last three games.
The FA Cup semi-final against Coventry is a higher priority, and it makes more sense to save Evans for that fixture.
But there will be an interesting decision, whether to go with the experience of Evans, or the youth of Kambwala. The young Frenchman needs a strong game this weekend to earn his place at Wembley.