Man Utd boosted by Bayern injury blow after Erik ten Hag missed out on transfer

Bayern Munich will be without Serge Gnabry for their upcoming games, in a major boost for Manchester United.

The Red Devils must beat the Bundesliga champions on Tuesday to have any hope of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League. They are currently rock bottom of their group and without a win heading into their final game, which takes place at Old Trafford.

Boss Erik ten Hag is feeling the pressure after a shambolic defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday, but he will be boosted by the news that Gnabry has been ruled out of Tuesday's game. The attacker was forced off during his side's thrashing at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Gnabry last just five minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 5-1 defeat to Frankfurt on Saturday. Following the game, Bayern confirmed they would be without the German international for several matches.

"Serge Gnabry suffered a groin strain in Saturday's 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, a scan revealed last night. Gnabry, who was forced off the field just five minutes after coming on in Frankfurt, will therefore miss Bayern's upcoming matches," Bayern said in a statement.

Gnabry has been struggling for fitness for most of the season, missing the opening game of the campaign with a hip problem, before fracturing his forearm. That ruled him out of a further five games, though he did score when Bayern beat United 4-3 in September.

If events had turned out differently, Gnabry could well have been lining up for United instead. As their pursuit for Antony in the summer of 2022 hit headwinds, Gnabry emerged as a potential target for the Red Devils.

Ultimately, he signed a new contract with Bayern, adding another Bundesliga title to his collection. Their reign looks at risk of coming to an end though, with the dreadful loss to Frankfurt leaving them four points adrift of leaders Bayer Leverkusen and boss Thomas Tuchel furious.

“You don’t have many excuses when you have a week of training, can prepare for a match for a long time and then start a game like that. We didn’t play well and made too many mistakes," Tuchel said.

"They were punished harshly today. We were punished extremely harshly for where we fell short. Now we have to ask ourselves how we let ourselves start a game like that. We certainly didn't have the passion, the ferocity and the energy needed to win games away from home.

"We have to look at ourselves. The bottom line is that it wasn’t enough to hold our own against Eintracht. The whole team performance was inadequate today – myself included.

“We don't have many positives to report about. We deserved to lose. The willingness and the ferocity necessary to win away from home was definitely missing today.“