'He will be out for a long time' - Man Utd starlet hit by major setback as manager offers devastating injury update

18-year-old Amass spent the first half of the season with fellow Championship side Sheffield Wednesday before being recalled and sent back to the second tier with Norwich. He made his Canaries debut in a 2-1 victory over league leaders Coventry City but was then missing from Saturday's squad for the 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough.

The teenager is a highly-rated youth prospect at Old Trafford, having made seven first-team appearances for United last term, but now faces a lengthy time on the sidelines with an injury.

Speaking after the defeat to Middlesbrough, Philippe Clement revealed Amass had been injured in the squad's final training session before the game and that Norwich would liaise with United over his recovery.

He said: "Harry, in the dying seconds of training, got an injury. I didn't want to speak too much about it straight after training because there was no assessment yet about it. 

"But it looks to be serious and that he will be out for a long time. 

"He's on loan from United so it's also important to speak with them first before speaking to the outside world."

Asked if his side would dip back into the transfer market for a replacement, Clement added: "No, we're not going to take in another left full-back, so we will solve it with the squad that's here because we already have four left full-backs on the pay roll."

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Amass was included in the cohort of United youngsters who were singled out for bizarre criticism from former manager Ruben Amorim, who had been asked about the situations of Kobbie Mainoo and Chido Obi back in December.

The Portuguese said at the time: "Amass is now struggling in the Championship. Chido is not always a starter in U21s. All these guys played when a lot of people were saying sack the manager."

Conversely, Amass had impressed in a struggling Wednesday team, winning the club's player of the month awards for November and December during a spell where he played in 21 games and scored one goal.

Official confirmation regarding the exact nature of Amass' injury is expected to be communicated in the coming days, but the early signs don't look good. Whether he will play again this season remains to be seen, but it certainly comes as a bitter blow for Norwich who had enjoyed a wonderful run of four wins in all competitions before Saturday's defeat.

United, meanwhile, will have their attention squarely on Sunday's clash with Fulham, knowing a win will send them back above Chelsea and Liverpool in the race for a top-four finish.