Christian Eriksen is set to undergo a scan on his ankle after the Manchester United midfielder was seen leaving Old Trafford on crutches on Saturday night.
Eriksen started the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Reading, but was forced off in the 57th minute with an injury after a poor challenge from Andy Carroll.
The Danish midfielder was replaced by Fred, who later scored in a 3-1 victory, and there is concern about the severity of the problem.
Footage shared on Twitter by a United supporter showed Eriksen leaving the stadium on crutches, with a protective boot on his left ankle. United manager Erik ten Tag said he will be assessed by the club’s medical team in the coming days to see how bad the injury is.
“It’s always difficult to say in this moment so short after the game has finished,” Ten Hag said in his post-match press conference. “But it’s an ankle [injury]. We have to see what is the diagnosis, so it costs us a minimum of 24 hours before we know that and then I can say more.”
Eriksen is now a major doubt for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest. With a 3-0 win from the first leg, the midfielder may have been rested anyway, but United have Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Leeds to think about too.
Eriksen has been a key player for Ten Hag since signing in the summer on a free transfer following a spell at Brentford. The 30-year-old has made 30 appearances this season, contributing two goals and nine assists in all competitions.
He has often been preferred to Fred and Scott McTominay in midfield, alongside Casemiro, who was the star of the show against Reading.
United got past their Championship opponents thanks to two goals from the former Real Madrid man in the second half. The home team had a Marcus Rashford goal ruled out by VAR before Casemiro broke the deadlock with a dinked finish from Antony’s through ball.
The Brazilian doubled United’s lead with a curling shot from range before Fred flicked in Bruno Fernandes’ low cross at the near post for 3-0. Amadou Mbengue headed in from a corner to give Paul Ince’s side consolation after Carroll was sent off for two yellow cards.
Ten Hag was full of praise for Casemiro after the match. “We know he’s a great player,” he told ITV. “In that midfield in Madrid, with [Toni] Kroos and [Luka] Modric, it was great.
“We see offensively he has a part [to play]. What I like is dynamic football with variations, with many position switches. We have to [make] the opponent think so we can take benefit of it.”