Manchester United have confirmed Jonny Evans will be out of action for several weeks with injury.
The 35-year-old suffered a thigh strain in Wednesday’s Champions League defeat at FC Copenhagen.
The defender left the pitch after 15 minutes with Raphael Varane replacing him.
Evans will now miss the Premier League clash against Luton Town on Saturday.
He will also be sidelined for Northern Ireland’s 2024 European Championship qualifiers against Finland and Denmark later this month.
United left scrambling for January reinforcements
Manager Erik ten Hag is already dealing with an injury to his first-choice centre-back Lisandro Martinez, who is unlikely to return to action before Christmas.
And now the Dutch boss has also lost Evans for several weeks, increasing their need for a new defender in January.
Harry Maguire is prone to making mistakes, although he has had a revival in form in recent weeks.
Varane has been struggling to perform and Ten Hag has started dropping him to the bench.
Man United must add another top defender in the winter transfer window.
Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo would represent a great signing, but he will likely cost a huge fee.
Due to the Financial Fair Play restrictions, they could look to bring in a centre-back on loan with the option to purchase included.
The Red Devils may also offload a player to help raise the required funds for a new recruit.
However, that has proved difficult in the past because of the enormous wages of most of their players.