Heading into the Spurs match at the weekend, most Manchester United fans were mystified that Louis van Gaal had not bought a world class central defender this summer.
For some reason van Gaal decided to go with the returning combination of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo.
But the news that Phil Jones is injured again might well prompt the United boss to finally buy another central defender.
The 23-year-old Jones missed Saturday’s opening-day 1-0 Premier League victory over Tottenham at Old Trafford after
club doctor Steve McNally spotted a blood clot in Jones’s calf, an injury that will keep the England defender out of action for at least three weeks.
Jones will miss miss three Premier League fixtures as well as the two-legged Champions League play-off against Bruges while he remains under observation.
‘It was very peculiar because he had tightness in his calf the whole week and he kept training, but we have a very good doctor I think because this doctor discovered a minor thrombosis” said van Gaal.
‘We don’t take the risk so we went to a specialist at the hospital for a second opinion.
‘The specialist said we have a new medical treatment and we have to keep him out for three weeks and watch him.’
United have been linked with Valencia defender Nicolás Otamendi all summer, and with any chance of a deal for Sergio Ramos deal apparently dead, United look set to sign the Argentine defender.
Otamendi has a €50m buyout clause that United are unwilling to meet as it would trigger a tax penalty in Spain. But a €49m would not, and I expect United to finally add another Argentina player to their squad before this window closes.
