Premier League: Early setback for Manchester United as Rashford could be out until October

Manchester United reportedly suffer a major blow ahead of the 2021-22 season as their key forward Marcus Rashford could be out until October.

Rashford has decided to undergoshoulder surgery in the summer, which is expected to keep him out of action for at least 12 weeks, reported BBC Sport.

Towards the latter stages of the 2020-21 season, Rashford was troubled with the shoulder issue on multiple occasions. He had a scan on Tuesday, which showed severe damage that would not be repaired by just rest. Even though the Red Devils wanted Rashford to undergo the surgery soon, the surgeon is not available until the end of July.

The absence of Rashford, who netted 21 competitive goals for Manchester United last season, would certainly be a huge setback in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans for the beginning of the new term. Rashford had finished as Manchester United's second highest goal scorer after Bruno Fernandes, who notched up 28 goals.

Rashford had a forgettable Euros 2020 with England, where he hardly made any impact. While he made five appearances for his national side, he was on the field only for a total of 84 minutes throughout the tournament. Moreover, he failed to score from the spot as the Three Lions lost the final 3-2 to Italy on penalty shootouts. It was Italy's second European Championship title, while England's wait to hold their maiden Euros trophy continued.

Along with Rashford, soon-to-be Manchester United player Jadon Sancho and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka also missed their respective penalties. After the game, the three young guns faced massive racial abuse on social media.

Moreover, a mural of Rashford in his hometown of Withington, Manchester, was defaced. Later on, the damage was mended after tons of people gathered for an anti-racism protest there. People have left hundreds of messages of support and harmony at the mural.

On Monday, England head coach Gareth Southgate said the racist abuse that Sancho, Saka, and Rashford have received was "unforgivable", while UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Football Association have also condemned it.

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the abuse and said "it will not be tolerated." The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) has also started an investigation, according to BBC Sport.

Rashford took to social media on Tuesday to respond to the racial abuse, while he also apologised to his fans for missing the penalty shot. He also added that he will never apologise for "who I am and where I came from."