Manchester United Injury Update: Shaw Close, Baleba Nearing Return
Manchester United’s squad is still stretched after their Carabao Cup exit to Brighton & Hove Albion, but there is at least one glimmer of good news before the international break.
Six senior players are 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, adding to a growing list of absentees that continues to shape Michael Carrick’s early-season options.
Amad: Pre-season promise stalled
Amad’s summer had looked encouraging. He featured in United’s final four friendlies, played his way into rhythm, and appeared set for a meaningful role.
Then a niggle in the final days of pre-season training stopped everything.
The Ivory Coast winger has now missed all six of United’s competitive games. Carrick addressed his situation on Tuesday, saying:
“Amad, not quite close in terms of days, but we’ll see as the week progresses.”
He did not make the squad against Brighton. Five days on from those comments, Fulham may come too soon as well. If he does not make Craven Cottage, his return is expected to be pushed back until after the international break.
Carlos Baleba: Ankle injury easing, return in sight
Carlos Baleba has yet to kick a ball for United since arriving in the summer. An ankle ligament injury in pre-season put him straight into the treatment room before he could properly integrate.
The midfielder has now stepped up his rehabilitation and is edging towards a comeback. Speaking before the Brighton tie, Carrick outlined where Baleba stands:
“He’ll be back in and around the group at some point over the next week or so. 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.”
The plan is clear: reintegrate him around the squad over the next week, then unleash him properly once domestic football resumes after the break.
Luke Shaw: Fulham return on the cards
Shaw is the closest of the injured group to a return and the one player United hope to have back immediately.
He started the first three Premier League matches of the season, then dropped out with a thigh issue that has kept him out for the last week. He was at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, watching from the stands rather than patrolling the left flank.
Carrick had hinted he might even make the Brighton game:
“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.”
Those “few days” now point directly towards Fulham. If Shaw is passed fit, he should walk straight back into the side, which would likely leave Patrick Dorgu out of the starting XI again after his rest in midweek.
Matthijs de Ligt: Long road, cautious timeline
For Matthijs de Ligt, the wait has been far longer and far more frustrating.
It is now ten-and-a-half months since the defender last played for United, back in late November, before a back injury ended his season. Surgery followed. He rejoined training with his team-mates around five-and-a-half weeks ago, but full match fitness is a different hurdle.
Carrick is refusing to put a hard date on his comeback:
“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.”
What is clear is that he will not feature before the upcoming international break. Attention turns to the block of fixtures that follows, with another month after that before the next pause in the calendar. United will not rush him; they cannot afford another setback.
Manuel Ugarte: Long-term absentee, slow climb back
Manuel Ugarte is the one true long-term casualty in this squad.
The Uruguay midfielder suffered a knee ligament injury at the World Cup this summer and underwent surgery in mid-July. He is now working with the medical and performance staff at Carrington, deep into the grind of rehabilitation.
United’s most recent update underlined both the success and the severity of the situation: the operation “was a success”, he faces “a long path to a full recovery” and is “currently progressing”.
The outlook is stark. He is almost certain not to play again before the end of 2026, though there remains a possibility he could return before this season finishes, depending entirely on how his rehab unfolds. For now, patience is the only strategy.
Tom Heaton: Veteran keeper still sidelined
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 the pre-season friendly against Paris Saint-Germain and has not been available since. Had he been fit, he would have been expected to take a place among the substitutes against Brighton.
Instead, Senne Lammens sat on the bench as Karl Darlow made his debut, while Dermot Mee was named in the Champions League matchday squad against Sabah last week, with Heaton nowhere to be seen.
United go to Fulham with Shaw likely back, Baleba almost there, Amad and De Ligt still waiting, Ugarte on a distant horizon and Heaton working towards fitness. The question now is simple: can this patched-up squad hold the line until the cavalry finally arrives?
