Erik ten Hag handed devastating injury blow on the eve of Man Utd's crunch match against Brentford

Ahead of a crucial set of fixtures for his Manchester United future, Erik ten Hag has been dealt a huge injury blow with a key player set for a spell on the sidelines.

After a two week long international break, the Premier League will return this weekend and all eyes will be on United as manager Erik ten Hag continues to face pressure over his job.

The Red Devils welcome Brentford to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon for their first fixture since the break as they look to get their season back on track after winning just two of their seven Premier League matches so far.

But ahead of the match, United have confirmed that they will be without one key player who will spend time away from the pitch after suffering a shock injury.

A statement from United before the Brentford clash confirmed that Kobbie Mainoo is expected to be out for "a few weeks" after sustaining a muscle injury during the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa before the international break.

The 19-year-old withdrew from the England squad last week because of the injury and some reports have suggested that Mainoo will now be absent until the next international break in November.

If this is the case, the talented youngster will will miss out on as many as seven matches, including massive games against Chelsea in the Premier League, Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in the Europa League and Leicester City in the EFL Cup round of 16.

The club also revealed that Harry Maguire also sustained a muscle injury during the Aston Villa match and will be absent for a few weeks.

Kobbie Mainoo made 24 Premier League appearances for Manchester United last season.

The news cannot have come at a worse time for Ten Hag, who continues to face increasing pressure regarding his role as United manager.

Ahead of the international break, reports suggested that Ten Hag was on his final chance following United's embarrassing 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in September.

United bounced back from the Spurs loss with back-to-back draws against Porto and Aston Villa, but now, new reports claim that the Dutchman has just two matches, against Brentford and Fenerbahce, to save his United career.