Rasmus Hojlund & Christian Eriksen withdraw from Denmark squad

Manchester United pair Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen have both been forced to withdraw from the Denmark squad for this month’s international break.

Second in their Euro 2024 qualifying group, Denmark are due to play leaders Slovenia and the already eliminated Northern Ireland with a place in the final tournament on the line.

The Danes will book their place in Germany next summer with one more win from those final two games, or if Kazakhstan drop points against either San Marino or Slovenia. But they will have to navigate the last two qualifiers without Hojlund and Eriksen.

Napoli midfielder Jesper Lindstrom and Trabzonspor defender Jens Stryger Larsen have been called up as replacements by national team boss Kasper Hjulmand.

Hojlund didn’t finish United’s narrow Premier League win over Luton Town on Saturday, holding his right leg before exiting the game with a little over ten minutes left on the clock. Meanwhile, Eriksen went off just before half-time with what appeared to be a knee injury.

Hojlund is still waiting for his first Premier League goal but has been quickly warmed up by fans since his £72m summer transfer from Atalanta and has enjoyed a prolific record in the Champions League – the Dane most recently scored twice in a dramatic 4-3 defeat against former club Copenhagen.

The 20-year-old had to be patient for his United debut earlier in the campaign because of a back problem suffered prior to his switch from Italian football. But the way he has led the line, albeit lacking consistent service, has shown plenty of promise for the future.

Having missed a chunk of last season with an ankle problem, Eriksen had avoided injuries so far this season until now. The 31-year-old has started six Premier League games, including each of the last three, as part of his 15 appearances in all competitions.