Manchester United are set to be without one of their first-team players for this afternoon’s game vs Luton Town in the Premier League, following a fresh update.

Man United's season so far

Erik ten Hag’s side have made an extremely mixed start to the new campaign having won six and lost five of their opening 11 fixtures, meaning that they currently find themselves eighth in the top-flight table.

Wolves (1-0)

Tottenham (2-0)

Nottingham Forest (3-2)

Arsenal (3-1)

Burnley (1-0)

Brighton (3-1)

Brentford (2-1)

Crystal Palace (1-0)

Sheffield United (2-1)

Manchester City (3-0)

Fulham (1-0)

Following Wednesday night’s 4-3 defeat to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League, the Red Devils will be hoping that they can return to victorious ways when they host Rob Edwards’ visitors, with kick off scheduled for 3pm UK time on Saturday.

The Old Trafford outfit, however, will have to try to do so without the services of Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Amad Diallo and Tyrell Malacia who all remain out until further notice, but they have now been joined in the treatment room by another squad member.

Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans was forced off the pitch and replaced by Raphael Varane after just 15 minutes during the midweek encounter, and whilst the specific details of the 35-year-old’s injury are yet to be revealed, he won’t be returning to the field this side of the international break at least.

Erik Ten Hag's update on Jonny Evans

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Ten Hag confirmed that Evans is ruled out for Man United for the match vs Luton Town.

As quoted by the club’s official website, he said: “So we don’t have, in this moment, the full assessment and all the details but, tomorrow, he is out. I can’t say [if he can go away with Northern Ireland] as we don’t have the finished assessment.”

In a further statement that has been released since, it’s been confirmed that the defender is facing the next few weeks on the sidelines.

Evans' absence is a real blow for Man United

During his time at Leicester, Evans was dubbed a defensive "wall” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, and considering he’s proven what a rock he can be since joining once again over the summer, Man United will know that his absence is a real blow.

Standing at 6 foot 2, Ten Hag’s two-footed talent has been averaging four clearances and 2.2 aerial wins per league game this season (WhoScored – Evans statistics), so he provides a real physical presence both on and off the ground at the heart of the backline.

The Belfast-born talent, who pockets £65k-per-week (Man United salaries), is also a versatile operator having been deployed in four different positions since the start of his career, including at left-back, right-back and slightly higher up in defensive midfield alongside his usual role at centre-back (Transfermarkt – Evans statistics).

Furthermore, Evans will possess an excellent winning mentality having secured ten trophies during his various spells in M16, so the fact that he knows what it takes to compete and be successful is another quality that the boss will have to cope without until his veteran is able to safely stage his return to fitness.