Christian Eriksen of Manchester United will miss three months of action before his match against FC Barcelona in the Europa League

Christian Eriksen's potential three-month absence has dealt Manchester United a major setback before their critical Europa League match against FC Barcelona. In the FA Cup fourth round encounter against Reading, the creative midfielder who directs play for the Red Devils was injured after being fouled by Andy Carroll.

The club, which was competing for championships with Erik ten Hag as its head coach, has been dealt a devastating blow by the injury. According to the club statement, the player may not return to action until May 2023.

He will thus miss the beginning of Denmark's European Championship qualification campaign, which begins in late March with games against Finland at home and Kazakhstan away in Group H.

Eriksen has played a key role in United's outstanding performance this season. In June 2021, Eriksen required life-saving care on the field after having an almost deadly heart collapse during a European Championship game against the Finns.

This season, he has participated in 31 of United's 32 games in all competitions, scoring two goals and dishing out nine assists.

The midfielder left Brentford, a fellow Premier League team where he had briefly resumed his career after his heart issues, and joined United last year.

United manager Erik ten Hag stated on Tuesday, "We are sad about it, but it occurs in elite sport.

"We need to handle it. We have talented players in the midfield, but because each player is unique, I don't believe we can ever fully fill that position.

"Cristian Eriksen delivers top-notch work, particularly in those areas where replacements are difficult. His influence in the latter third.

Ten Hag said that it would be challenging to recruit a replacement on the last day of the transfer window before to the League Cup semi-final, second leg, against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.