Carrick's Injury Update: United's Squad Ahead of Hull Clash
Manchester United head to the MKM Stadium on Saturday lunchtime with Michael Carrick juggling a familiar pre-season problem: who is actually fit enough to start the campaign?
A week on from a 4-2 defeat to Milan in Wroclaw, where several senior players were missing, the United head coach has at least been able to welcome some key names back onto the grass at Carrington. Others, though, will be watching from afar.
Sesko back in the frame
The headline boost comes up front. Benjamin Sesko, absent for the entirety of pre-season, is finally back in full training after the shin injury that cut short his debut campaign in early May.
He played through the problem for much of last season before aggravating it in the win over Liverpool at Old Trafford. The issue then ruled him out of United’s summer schedule, raising concerns about his readiness for the new campaign.
Those fears have eased. Sesko has trained with the group this week and Carrick made his delight clear on Thursday.
“Ben [Sesko] is back training, so that's another positive. Looking forward to having him back around the group and getting him some minutes as well,” he said.
Minutes might be managed, but the option of a genuine No.9 again changes the look of United’s attack before a ball is kicked in the league.
Darlow steps up as Heaton waits
At the other end of the pitch, there is more good news.
Karl Darlow, a summer signing still waiting for his United debut, has also returned to training. The goalkeeper underwent surgery at the end of last season after playing through to the expiry of his Leeds United contract and then turning out for Wales in early June.
His recovery left United short of experienced cover. With Radek Vitek moving to Middlesbrough and Tom Heaton also injured, Dermot Mee has been deputising for Senne Lammens during the final friendlies.
Now Darlow is pushing to be involved.
“Karl has trained this week. He's back training, so he's in good shape,” Carrick confirmed, a timely update with Hull away looming.
Heaton, by contrast, is still in limbo. The 40-year-old picked up what initially looked a minor problem against Paris Saint-Germain a fortnight ago, only for the issue to prove more serious than first thought. He is expected to miss at least a few weeks, with further assessment due around this weekend.
That setback makes Darlow’s return all the more important. If he comes through the final sessions unscathed, he is in line to take Mee’s place on the bench on Saturday.
Ugarte the long-term casualty
One situation United cannot solve quickly is in midfield.
Manuel Ugarte begins the season as the club’s only confirmed long-term absentee after undergoing knee ligament surgery. The injury struck while he was representing Uruguay at this summer’s World Cup, cutting short what had promised to be a significant tournament for the combative midfielder.
United confirmed the operation was successful and stressed he “will now begin the rehabilitation stage of his recovery and will be carefully managed by the club's medical and performance staff.”
Ugarte himself sent a clear message of defiance.
“I'm incredibly grateful to Uruguay and Man Utd for being there for me from the moment it happened. A huge thank you as well to my family, my friends, and everyone who has sent me messages of support during this time. I'll be back stronger,” he said.
For Carrick, it means planning the opening months without one of his key summer anchors.
Mount on a knife-edge
Mason Mount sits in the grey area between those fully fit and those ruled out.
The midfielder has been sidelined since limping off early in the 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg, a foot injury forcing him off after just 20 minutes and handing Tyler Fletcher a longer-than-expected run-out.
Mount has missed the two friendlies since. Andrey Santos started alongside him against Leeds before Youri Tielemans partnered the Brazilian last weekend, hinting at Carrick’s alternative options.
United’s manager, though, suggested Mount is close to rejoining the action.
“We are managing Mason [Mount] a little bit, but he's very close, so it's touch-and-go for the weekend, really, if not going into next week,” Carrick said.
Touch-and-go for Hull, then, with a strong chance of involvement once the season settles into its rhythm.
De Ligt back on the grass, but not quite ready
At centre-back, there is cautious optimism.
Matthijs de Ligt is training again after back surgery earlier this year, an operation that ended his campaign and kept him out for the final six months of last season. His last appearance came in late November; since then, it has been all rehab, no competitive minutes.
Now he is back with the group, though Carrick has drawn a clear line under any hopes of an instant return.
“Matt [De Ligt] has obviously been out for a long period of time, but he's training and great to have him back. Well, he won't be involved, but he's in good shape and moving in a good direction, so that's really a good bonus for us, really, at this stage, to have him back,” Carrick explained.
United will not rush a defender of that stature. Not after such a long lay-off.
So Carrick heads to Hull with a striker finally fit, a new goalkeeper edging into contention, a creator on the brink, a marquee defender nearing the line, and a midfield enforcer months away. The squad is not complete, but the picture is brighter than it was a fortnight ago. The question now is simple: how quickly can those returning players turn promise on the training pitch into points in the Premier League table?
