One Manchester United Academy starlet is now “two weeks away” from returning to first-team football after an injury nightmare that has left him a forgotten player.
Manchester United’s injury luck under Rúben Amorim has been rather woeful in the last few months.
Key players such as Lisandro Martínez, Amad, and Kobbie Mainoo are all experiencing prolonged periods on the sidelines. However, it’s hoped Mainoo will be back in action soon and Amad will return before the end of the season.
Others, such as Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, and Manuel Ugarte, have also had a few injuries across the last couple of months, meaning Amorim has been unable to select consistent starting XIs, disrupting the team’s rhythm.
There has also been a stave of injuries to Academy players too, with those such as Sekou Kone and Shea Lacey seeing their developments and potential first-team debuts halted due to injuries this season.
One Academy star nearing first-team action
Another Academy player that has suffered severe injury issues and has so far been unable to nail down consistent first-team football is Dan Gore.
Gore impressed in the 2023 pre-season but suffered an early injury. A loan to Port Vale in January 2024 was cut short after he tore his quadricep on debut.
After recovering, he dislocated his shoulder in a freak incident in June, requiring surgery and missing the 2024 U.S. pre-season tour.
He returned in November and joined Rotherham on loan in January, but after an encouraging debut on 1 February vs Birmingham, a foot injury saw him return to United shortly after.
However, Rotherham United manager Steve Evans has now issued a positive update on the player, confirming he expects Gore to return to first-team action in the next two weeks as he finishes his rehabilitation.
“Dan is running on the ‘Ultra G’ (anti-gravity treadmill) this week and is on the grass next week,” Evans told the Advertiser last week. “The medical team at Man United want to give him a full week on the grass. If he clears that, he will be back with us.
“He’s probably two weeks away from being ready. It would be good to get the kid on the pitch and playing for us.”
Does Gore have a future at United?
Gore has been in United’s Academy since 2018, when he made the move from Burnley to the Carrington youth set-up, but has made just two senior appearances, both under Erik ten Hag.
The 20-year-old was handed his debut on his 19th birthday by Ten Hag in September 2023, coming off the bench against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, before making his first Premier League appearance in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa in December that year.
However, he has not stepped foot on the pitch for United in the 15 months since, having suffered from all the aforementioned injuries.
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Gore is known to be a midfielder with superb movement and a lethal shot on him, while his creativity and weight of pass have been well spoken of across the Academy set-up.
However, it feels as if the midfielder’s final chance at United may come this summer if he can stay fit and head on Amorim’s pre-season tour.
Christian Eriksen will be leaving the club at the end of June, and it’s thought United will also try and offload Casemiro as soon as they can.
If replacements are not signed by then, there could be a spot on the plane for Gore to travel with Amorim’s first-team, which hands him the perfect chance to impress the first-team head coach ahead of his first full campaign.
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