Revealed: Rasmus Hojlund suffered back injury during Man Utd medical that could limit his playing time in 2023-24

• Hojlund signed from Atalanta
• Debut delayed due to injury
• Might have limited minutes in 2023-24

WHAT HAPPENED? The Danish hitman is yet to take to the pitch after he sealed a £72 million ($92m) from Atalanta. Although he was unveiled ahead of United's friendly against Lens at Old Trafford, he played no part in that contest and took his place in the stands. According to the Daily Mail, an MRI scan from his medical revealed a stress response hotspot in his back, which could lead to further stress fractures in the future.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The United medical team is confident that it is not a fundamental or long-term problem and with rest, Hojlund can get back to full fitness. However, as the Mail states, they have suggested that it is unlikely that the 20-year-old will be able to play two times within the span of a week for some time as it might aggravate the injury, which would lead to a longer period on the sidelines.

AND WHAT'S MORE: United boss Erik ten Hag has refused to put a definitive timeline on Hojlund's return but insisted that he is "making good progress" with the injury.

"It's difficult to say how that process will go, but I think he's making good progress at this moment. We have to see day by day how the progress will go, then we have to follow up," the Dutchman told Sky Sports. "Of course, when he's available and he's here so you have the option to play, but we don't expect him in that short notice to be 100 per cent fit. So we have to wait some time. We need all positions doubled because of the number of games."

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WHAT NEXT? Hojlund will likely miss United's Premier League opener against Wolves on August 14 and their next fixture against Tottenham on August 19 as well. It remains to be seen if he can play a part in some capacity in United's home match against Nottingham Forest on August 26.