‘Not possible’ - Erik ten Hag delivers update on Man Utd injury blow after Chelsea draw

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed that it is ‘not possible’ to know the full extent of Raphael Varane’s injury after the defender was forced off during the Red Devils’ dramatic 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

United had to rely on a superb stoppage-time header from Casemiro to rescue a point in West London after Jorginho had put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot with just five minutes remaining. For his part, Varane withdrew midway through the second half after picking up a complaint.

The French defender lost out in duel against Blues striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and was visibly distressed as he left the pitch - although he did leave under his own volition after refusing the offer of a stretcher.

Speaking after the match, Ten Hag stated that it would be at least a day before he knows how bad the Frenchman’s injury actually is. When asked how much he knew about Varane’s condition, he said on Sky Sports: “Nothing, actually.

“I know it is an injury, that is why he came off, but we have to wait 24 hours before we know more. It is not possible [to know how bad the injury is]. He feels, of course, a certain perspective, but we don’t know. We have to wait minimum 24 hours, or even longer when it is that injury.”

Ten Hag also heaped praise on the grit shown by his side as they rallied themselves to rescue a point in the dying embers of an attritional contest.

He added: “I want to value the spirit of the team. It was a tough game, it was fought and we went down, and I saw the body language from my players, but they found their belief in the last minutes and they fight back and got a well-deserved point.”