Manchester United Injury Update: Key Players Ahead of Hull Clash

Manchester United are one week out from Hull away and Michael Carrick already knows one thing about his Premier League opener: he will be picking a team with a red-ink injury list on the desk.

First comes AC Milan in the final pre-season friendly today. Carrick will want rhythm, sharpness, maybe one last look at combinations. More than anything, he will want his players walking down the tunnel at full-time under their own steam.

Several cannot even get that far.

Matthijs de Ligt – back

Matthijs de Ligt has not pulled on a United shirt in a competitive game since November. Back surgery cut last season short and his summer has been about rehab, not headlines.

There is progress. He is back out on the grass and travelled with the squad to the Republic of Ireland for this week’s training camp, a small but significant step. What there is not, yet, is a date. No return pencilled in, no fixture ringed on the calendar.

For now, his status for the start of the season remains a question without an answer.

Possible return date: Unknown

Tom Heaton – hamstring

Tom Heaton’s pre-season took a sharp turn in Gothenburg against PSG.

The problem looked minor in real time. Heaton went off, Dermot Mee came on, and there was no real alarm in the moment. The diagnosis has been less forgiving. As revealed in Notebook this week, the hamstring issue is more serious than first thought and will keep the experienced goalkeeper out for “at least a few weeks”.

He will discover the full extent of the damage next weekend, but United are already planning for a spell without him.

Possible return date: Everton, September 6

Mason Mount – foot

When Mason Mount walked off inside 20 minutes against PSG, United feared a nightmare scenario. A big signing, a big season ahead, and a player clutching his foot before half-time in a pre-season game.

Those fears eased quickly. Mount left the stadium on his own, no limp, no boot, no crutches. The relief, though, has been tempered by his continued absence. He missed the friendly with Leeds and is not in the squad to face AC Milan.

Missing the final two friendlies of the summer means one thing: he will not start at Hull. Carrick still hopes to have him involved in some capacity, but from the bench at best.

Possible return date: Hull, August 22

Benjamin Sesko – shin

Benjamin Sesko’s summer never really started.

The Slovenian striker has not played a single minute in pre-season as he continues to recover from the shin injury he suffered in the win over Liverpool back in early May. The plan, as outlined in Notebook earlier this summer, was clear: get him on the pitch in one of the late friendlies, build some rhythm, and roll him towards the new campaign.

That plan has already been torn up. Sesko is not in the squad to face Milan, which means that target has gone.

With Sesko sidelined for so long, Bryan Mbeumo is effectively locked in to start at Hull. Given the lack of minutes, it is hard to make a serious case for Sesko even making the bench there. Realistically, a place in the squad for Ipswich the following week now looks like his best shot.

Possible return date: Ipswich, August 30

Manuel Ugarte – knee ligament

Manuel Ugarte’s situation is on a different scale entirely.

The midfielder’s World Cup ended in anguish when he was stretchered off in Uruguay’s defeat to Spain in June with a serious knee ligament injury. He later laid bare the emotional weight of it on social media, calling it “the most serious injury a footballer can face” and admitting the pain of leaving one of the biggest matches in his country’s history before the final whistle.

He spoke of hitting “rock bottom”, of using the setback to come back stronger, and of starting again every time life knocks you down. It was raw, honest, and underlined the size of the road ahead.

That road is long. Very long.

Possible return date: 2027

Karl Darlow – unknown issue

Karl Darlow has been dealing with a pre-existing problem since arriving at United.

The club do not consider it a major concern, yet the goalkeeper has not been involved in any pre-season friendly squads so far. It is a quiet, low-key absence compared to some of the headline injuries, but it still leaves Carrick juggling his options in goal.

Seven days to Hull. One more friendly to navigate. A manager watching every challenge, every sprint, every awkward landing, knowing his season’s start could hinge on who makes it through tonight in one piece.