Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic out for a month after recurrence of knee injury

United are likely to be without both Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku for the trip to Everton

Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently returned from a long-term knee injury (Getty)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to spend a month on the sidelines after suffering a recurrence of the serious knee ligament injury that almost ended his career.

The Manchester United striker was ruled out for the next month by manager Jose Mourinho following his side’s goalless draw with Southampton on Saturday.

Mourinho is also likely to be without Romelu Lukaku for the trip to Everton on New Year’s Day after his first-choice striker was injured in a clash of heads with Wesley Hoedt.

Lukaku remained conscious while receiving treatment on the pitch and was not admitted to hospital, though he is still likely to miss what would have been his first return to Goodison Park since leaving for Old Trafford during the summer.

On Ibrahimovic, Mourinho hailed the way his striker has approached recovering from the injury but admitted that his situation is “not easy”.

“Zlatan is out for a month. It's the same knee,” he said. “An incredible problem, a 36 year-old man, a lion like he says, a real lion, but it's not easy. Now he had a little recurrence and one month out.”

The United manager did not have a prognosis on Lukaku’s injury though effectively ruled him out of the trip to Everton and Friday’s FA Cup third round tie with Derby County.

“I know normally bad news arrives immediately and bad news didn’t arrive. But to leave the pitch the way he did, we didn’t think twice to make it immediately because there is a problem, not just for today but the next two matches for sure.”

If Lukaku suffered a concussion in the clash of heads with Hoedt, Premier League guidelines would prevent him from playing again for a minimum of six days. ‘Return to play’ rules regarding player concussion were introduced at the start of the 2014/15 season.

United may also lose Ashley Young to a retrospective three-match ban after the full back's elbow on Dusan Tadic went unnoticed by referee Craig Pawson.

Young appeared to hit Tadic in the stomach during the second half of Saturday's 0-0 draw and may now face the same punishment as Burnley's James Tarkowski, who recently served a three-match suspension for a similar offence.