Manchester United left-back Alex Telles has been ruled out until September with an ankle injury suffered during the season, which threatens to leave Ole Gunnar Solskjær at short notice when the new Premier League campaign begins in less than three weeks.
After twisting his ankle during a session before United’s last friendly against QPR, it was hoped that the Brazilian could only be a short-term absence.
But boss Solskjaer has now revealed that further tests show that the problem is worse than suspected, which may force Telles to miss at least the first two weeks of the season.
“Unfortunately, there is worse news about Alex Telles than we had hoped for,” Solskjaer told the club’s own media. “His ankle injury is a little more serious than we hoped and he will at least be out for a little enchantment, all August I would think.”
Telles injured his ankle during a pre-season training session / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
That would exclude him from the rest of the pre-season, as well as United’s first three Premier League games against Leeds, Southampton and Wolves, leading to an international break in September.
Following a £ 15 million transfer from Porto in October, Telles provided back-up and decisive competition for Luke Shaw last season. But with Shaw still on holiday after representing England in the final of Euro 2020 just over two weeks ago, Brandon Williams is suddenly the only left-back in the first team.
Shaw was named United Player of the Year last season by his teammates and named PFA Premier League Team of the Year for his outstanding performances.
During a three-week holiday, Shaw would sign up for duty next week, but given his previous fitness problems, there have been concerns as it was revealed that he was playing with rib fractures in the final stages of Euro 2020. He had already suffered a ligament in his wrist injury before the tournament started and was played with noticeable bands on it throughout the competition.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!
