Man United Injury Updates: Shaw, Baleba, Amad, and More

Manchester United’s Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion came with a familiar sting in the tail: a treatment room still packed and a squad stretched again before the international break.

Six senior players remain sidelined. Only one of them, Luke Shaw, has a realistic chance of making it back in time for Sunday’s trip to Fulham.

Lisandro Martinez and Patrick Dorgu were also missing from the midweek squad at Old Trafford, but the focus for Michael Carrick now is on the half-dozen longer-term absentees who have yet to kick a ball in anger this season – plus Shaw, who has just joined them.

Amad: pre-season promise on pause

Amad’s summer ended with momentum. He featured in United’s final four friendlies, looked sharp and ready, and then it stopped.

A niggle picked up in the closing days of pre-season has kept the Ivory Coast winger out of all six competitive fixtures so far. The problem is not serious enough to rule him out for months, but it has dragged on long enough to stall his progress.

Carrick addressed his situation before the Brighton tie, sounding cautious rather than alarmed.

“Amad, not quite close in terms of days, but we’ll see as the week progresses,” the United head coach said on Tuesday.

Five days on from those comments, Amad still has a race on his hands to be involved at Craven Cottage. If he does not make it, his comeback will almost certainly be pushed to after the international break, when United’s schedule tightens again and his creativity could be badly needed.

Carlos Baleba: new signing edging back

Carlos Baleba arrived at Old Trafford already carrying an ankle ligament injury from pre-season. For a summer signing eager to make an impression, it has been a frustrating start.

The midfielder has yet to feature this campaign, but there is at last some movement. He has recently stepped up his rehabilitation and is edging closer to full training.

Carrick, speaking before facing Baleba’s former club, Brighton, outlined the plan.

“He’ll be back in and around the group at some point over the next week or so,” he said. “So that means after international, he should be in good shape. Carlos came being injured, and then he’s desperate to get out there and be part of the group and training fully with the boys.”

United have lacked depth and legs in midfield at times already this season. Baleba’s return, expected shortly after the break, cannot come quickly enough.

Luke Shaw: Fulham return in sight

Shaw is the one flicker of good news.

The left-back started United’s first three Premier League games before a thigh issue ruled him out over the last week. He watched from the stands on Wednesday night, having been close to making the squad.

“He could possibly be fit for Brighton, it’s not clear-cut. But it’s a matter of a few days rather than anything else,” Carrick said ahead of the cup tie.

Those “few days” now point directly at Fulham. If Shaw comes through the remaining sessions, he should slot straight back into the side on Sunday, likely pushing Patrick Dorgu out of the starting XI again after his rest.

For a team trying to stabilise after an early cup exit, getting one of its most reliable performers back on the pitch would be a significant lift.

Matthijs de Ligt: long road, no deadline

Matthijs de Ligt’s absence has quietly become one of United’s longest-running injury stories.

The Dutch defender has not played for the club since late November, 10-and-a-half months ago, after a serious back problem that required surgery. He returned to training with his team-mates around five-and-a-half weeks ago, but a competitive comeback remains some way off.

Carrick is refusing to circle a date on the calendar.

“Matta’s just working his way back, really, so because of the time frame and how it’s been, I don’t really want to put too much time frame on it,” he said.

What is clear is that De Ligt will not return before the upcoming international break. The earliest realistic window is sometime after that, in the month before the next pause in the calendar. Until then, United must continue to manage without a defender signed to be a cornerstone of their back line.

Manuel Ugarte: the long-term absentee

Of all United’s injuries, Manuel Ugarte’s is the one that stretches furthest into the future.

The Uruguay midfielder suffered a knee ligament injury at the World Cup in the summer and underwent surgery in mid-July. He has been working at Carrington with the club’s medical and performance staff since.

United’s latest bulletin on Ugarte underlined the scale of the task ahead. The operation was described as a success, but he “faced a long path to a full recovery” and is “currently progressing”.

There is hope he could return before the end of this season, though the club accept that everything hinges on how his rehabilitation unfolds. For now, he remains Carrick’s one clear long-term absentee, with no expectation of seeing him in a matchday squad any time soon.

Tom Heaton: veteran keeper still out

Tom Heaton’s absence has flown under the radar, but it has quietly reshaped United’s goalkeeping pecking order.

The veteran suffered a hamstring injury during a pre-season friendly against Paris Saint-Germain and has not been involved since. Had he been fit, he would almost certainly have been on the bench against Brighton.

Instead, Senne Lammens took a place among the substitutes as Karl Darlow made his debut. In Europe, Dermot Mee stepped into the Champions League matchday squad against Sabah last week, with Heaton again missing.

His return will not dominate headlines, yet in a season where United are juggling multiple competitions, having an experienced goalkeeper available for rotation and cup duty could prove crucial.

United head to Fulham with Shaw on the brink of a comeback, Baleba close, and Amad still waiting. De Ligt is working in the background, Ugarte is fighting a much longer battle, and Heaton watches from the sidelines. The question now is simple: can Carrick keep his season on track while he waits for the rest of his squad to finally walk back through the dressing-room door?