Marcus Rashford could miss the majority of the season after suffering a double stress fracture of the back.
The Manchester United striker needs rest to repair the damage, and is expected to be out for a minimum of six weeks before he can resume training.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claimed his leading scorer would be out for a minimum of a month when speaking ahead of Sunday’s game with Liverpool.
Rashford had been complaining of issues with his back before taking a heavy blow to it in United’s FA Cup third round replay with Wolves.
He has now suffered a double stress fracture that will require non-invasive surgery.
Solskjaer said later on Sunday: "It's a stress fracture which happened against Wolverhampton. That is usually six weeks and then he will need some rehab after that."
The news is a huge blow to Solskjaer’s hopes of securing Champions League qualification, with Rashford establishing himself as United’s talisman this season.
He is their leading scorer, with 19 goals in all competitions and was in the form of his career when suffering his latest injury as a result of a knee to the back from Matt Doherty.
