Alarm bells ring with Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho: how long is he out for? What injury does he have?

Garnacho entered the game during the 73rd minute with the task of turning around a stodgy, turgid match. Manchester United huffed and puffed as they tried to sink their teeth into a resilient Southampton side who traveled to Old Trafford as the bottom team in the league. The Argentinian winger had already been given the same task on other occasions which had yielded positive results, but on Sunday he was unable to unbalance the opposition. And to top it all off, he suffered an injury that meant he left the field early.

In minute 81 he made his way into the opposition box. Running at speed from the left, and with his eyes fixated on putting the ball past Bazunu, it was down to Kyle Walker-Peters to make a challenge that halted the attacker. He caught up with the Argentine and brought him down with a clean tackle, without committing a foul, but the consequences of the challenge would be serious for Garnacho.

How did Garnacho get injured?

Garnacho’s ankle was caught between the opponent’s legs, and the expression of pain on his face was evident as the player tumbled to the floor; medical services quickly entered to field of play to see to the player. He was able to continue playing, but there was no sign of the Garnacho that fans are used to seeing, his pace and electricity was gone. So was he minutes later, down the tunnel after being hauled off.

How long will he be out for?

After the match, the Argentine was seen leaving Old Trafford on crutches. In the press room, his coach calmed the concern that came from the journalists’ questions, all eager to know the extent of the injury. He explained the change and offered a first estimate of the footballer’s condition.

“He was limping after a bad tackle,” Ten Hag told reporters. “They had put a striker on and I decided not to risk it. We were already a man down (due to the Casemiro red card), so I took him off but I don’t think his injury is serious.” There is no timescale on Garnacho’s injury as of yet.