Manchester United pair Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard out of Chelsea and Liverpool games

Manchester United are set to be without Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard at a crucial point in their season, with the pair ruled out for two to three weeks.

Martial and Lingard were both forced off with groin and hamstring injuries respectively during United’s 2-0 Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

The pair have played a key part in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer turning around United’s fortunes, starting regularly alongside Marcus Rashford in the Norwegian’s first-choice front three.

Neither will be available for Monday’s FA Cup fifth round tie at Chelsea and they are also expected to miss Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford the following Sunday.

If the pair are sidelined for three weeks, they may also be unavailable for the Champions League return leg in Paris on 6 March.

Their absences open the door for the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku, who have failed to make an impression under Solskjaer so far.

Solskjaer also suggested he could also turn to some of the club’s younger players. Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes could be promoted to the matchday squad, though 17-year-old striker Mason Greenwood is currently sidelined.

“I think they’ll be out for two to three weeks,” Solskjaer said of Martial and Lingard on Friday. “Then you’re looking at young players.

“Mason Greenwood, now’s the time to step up but he’s injured unfortunately. That’s the way the luck goes sometimes. Mason will get his chance later on.

“It’s a chance for anyone who plays. Alexis, Romelu, Chongy or Angel.

“Anthony and Jesse have done really well for us, they’re vital. But then again with Rom and Alexis, they’ve got a different skill sets and will be able to show what they can do.”

With Chelsea and Liverpool following so soon after PSG, Martial and Lingard’s injuries come at the most important point of their season to date.

Whereas some may find United’s upcoming fixtures daunting, Solskjaer described the week ahead as “great” and expects his players to shake off the effects of his first defeat in charge.

“You don’t panic because you’ve lost a game, you don’t change everything. It doesn’t change the mindset at all,” he said.

“We need to keep working on the way we play football. We want to go down to Chelsea, we want to have Liverpool here and impose ourselves on those games. There are quite a few other teams with injuries so you have to adapt to that.”