Manchester United return to Premier League action on Saturday evening when they host Tottenham Hotspur
After an extended international break, Manchester United will resume their Premier League campaign on Saturday when they host Tottenham Hotspur. Both United and Spurs ended the first five games of the domestic season under a cloud. The Reds have struggled for consistency, so far, and the draw against Fulham was underwhelming.
For Tottenham, things look even bleaker given they sit bottom of the Premier League without a win to their name. Both sides will be desperate for three points this Saturday. However, Michael Carrick has a number of injury worries to contend with before returning to Old Trafford.
Carlos Baleba has yet to make his debut for the Reds since his summer move from Brighton and Hove Albion. During pre-season with the south coast club, Baleba suffered an ankle injury. His recovery from that issue bled into his new chapter at United. Fortunately for the Cameroon international, he was fit enough for a spot on the bench at Fulham last month.
He has since played his first minutes for United in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport and is expected to feature against Spurs on Saturday. Another player who travelled down to London before the international break was Matthijs de Ligt.
De Ligt has been missing for 10 months with a troublesome back injury. The centre-back was only expected to be missing for a short period when he first picked up the issue, but in May, he was forced to undergo surgery to correct the issue.
Despite travelling with the squad for the clash against Fulham, he was not with his teammates as they arrived at Craven Cottage. It is understood this was always the plan and was not due to a setback. There is an expectation that De Ligt will be among the substitutes against either Atletico Madrid or Como in the upcoming Champions League games.
While things appear to be going to plan for De Ligt, the same cannot be said for Benjamin Sesko. The centre-forward did not travel to Fulham and the following week withdrew from the Slovenia squad. A flare up of the shin injury that has troubled him since May continues to concern Sesko.
He was not spotted in the friendly against Lausanne-Sport, making him a doubt for this weekend. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo also withdrew from the international break due to unknown injury issues. At this stage, neither are thought to be too serious and both could feature against Spurs.
United will be hoping Amad returns to the squad, sooner rather than later. He picked up an injury prior to the Hull opener and has not featured since. Carrick was hopeful Amad would be back in time for the clash with Tottenham, but that remains to be seen.
Carrick has also received worrying injury news from players on international duty. Patrick Dorgu appeared to pick up a hamstring injury during Denmark's clash with Wales and is being assessed at Carrington. Meanwhile, Noussair Mazraoui was forced off against Lesotho. The full-back duo are both doubts for the weekend.
Manuel Ugarte remains a long-term absentee. He picked up a serious knee injury at the World Cup and is not expected back until 2027.