Manchester United injury news: Daley Blind suffers suspected damaged knee ligaments to add to Louis van Gaal's defensive crisis

Defensive midfielder and centre-back expected to miss 'several weeks'

Daley Blind of the Netherlands lies injured after a challenge with Latvia's Eduards Viskanovs (Reuters)

Manchester United head into this weekend’s crucial Premier League clash against Arsenal with a serious injury crisis on their hands after Daley Blind picked up what looked to be a serious knee injury while on international duty with the Netherlands.

Blind looks set to be sidelined for several weeks after suffering suspected knee ligament damage, with the utility man hobbling off during the 6-0 win over Latvia on Sunday night. Blind, who has played recently in both midfield and defence for United, will undergo a scan later today to determine how serious the injury is and to put a timescale on his recovery, although he is already a major doubt for the trip to the Emirates.

Blind has played predominantly as a defensive midfielder this season, but Louis van Gaal was forced to deploy the Dutchman at centre-back for their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace due to mounting injury troubles at the back.

Having seen the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra leave the club in the summer, Van Gaal has also had to deal with injuries to Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair throughout the first three months of the season.

The biggest blow came when Marcus Rojo suffered a dislocated shoulder during the Manchester derby defeat to Manchester City, which also saw Smalling red carded for two stupid yellow cards that saw the England international heavily criticised.

Michael Carrick has had to cover the centre-back position this season despite only returning from injury earlier this month, and Antonio Valencia – a pacey right-winger by trade – has also been played at right-back due to the lack of options Van Gaal has available.

Blind has been a mainstay of a vastly changed United side this season (Getty Images)

The injury to Blind also takes Van Gaal’s injury list to 39 separate injuries since taking over the Red Devils in the summer, a staggering number that has seriously hampered their start to the season.

Van Gaal’s problems were – somehow – worsened by the news that goalkeeper David de Gea suffered a dislocated finger in training ahead of Spain's match against Gibraltar on Friday, and looks set to miss four weeks with Anders Lindegaard and Ben Amos set to step up into the starting line-up and substitutes respectively.

De Gea suffered a dislocated finger during Spain's win over Gibraltar (Getty Images)

On viable option though could be a move for ex-Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes. The Spaniard has been training with the club to aid his recovery from a serious knee injury sustained earlier this year, and there has been a lot of talk not just of him agreeing a permanent deal to provide back-up to De Gea, but replacing him altogether should he move to Real Madrid.