Man United defender could be set to return for Fulham clash

Man United defender could be set to return for Fulham clash Manchester United Injury Update as Michael Carrick Awaits Key Returns Before Fulham Manchester United have made a mess of the start of the season and there is no point dressing it up. Michael Carrick is in his first full campaign as permanent manager and already the pressure is there, loud and deserved. The 3-2 home loss to Brighton in the Carabao Cup summed up the problem. United raced into a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes through Shea Lacey and Mason Mount, then lost control of the match and eventually lost the tie. That is not bad luck. That is a team with structural issues, fragile confidence and too many unavailable players. The wider backdrop is ugly enough. There has been the derby defeat to Manchester City, the late slip at Everton and the loss to newly-promoted Hull. Wins over Ipswich and Sabah FK have not changed the mood. Add in the noise around JJ Gabriel asking to leave and the trip to Fulham now carries more significance than it should in September. United need results, though they also need bodies back. Here is where things stand with the injured players, and what it all means ahead of Fulham and the difficult run that follows. Luke Shaw and Amad Diallo offer immediate hope Luke Shaw is the closest of the notable absentees to a return. He has missed United’s last three matches with an unspecified issue and Carrick had already hinted that Brighton came slightly too soon. His words were clear enough: “Luke could [be available],” Carrick said on Tuesday. “He could possibly be fit for Brighton, but we’ll see. It’s not clear-cut, but it’s a matter of a few days rather than anything else.” That points to Shaw being in the frame for Fulham, or at the very least being close enough to travel. United have lacked balance without him. He gives them a natural left-sided outlet and, more importantly, some control in build-up. At the moment, United look stretched too easily and too often. Amad Diallo is further away. He has not played at all this season after suffering an ankle injury in training before the opening match at Hull. For a side short on one-v-one quality and movement in the final third, his absence matters. Carrick’s last update was hardly optimistic: “Amad is not quite close, in terms of days, you know. We’ll see as the week progresses.” Read that for what it is. He is unlikely to make Fulham. The realistic target appears to be Tottenham after the international break. United need him back because too many of their attacking patterns are predictable and too much falls on moments rather than sustained play. Photo: IMAGO Carlos Baleba and Matthijs de Ligt edge towards October Carlos Baleba remains one of the more intriguing pieces in the squad. United finally signed the midfielder from Brighton for £70 million, having tracked him for a long time, but he arrived carrying an ankle ligament injury suffered in pre-season against Strasbourg. So the reunion with his former club on Wednesday was always going to come too soon. There has been some encouragement. He has resumed outdoor work at Carrington and Carrick had suggested previously that a return within two to three weeks was possible. The problem is obvious, match sharpness and rhythm do not appear overnight. Fulham is likely to be too early, while Tottenham after the break looks far more plausible. Baleba could change the feel of United’s midfield quickly. He covers ground, he can carry the ball and he gives them more athletic presence. Right now United are too easy to play through when games become stretched. Brighton exposed that ruthlessly. Matthijs de Ligt is in a similar bracket in terms of timeline, though his case has dragged on much longer. He has not played for United since November 2025 after aggravating a lower back injury against Crystal Palace. At the time, the issue was downplayed. It turned out to be serious enough for surgery in May, and serious enough to cost him a place at the World Cup with the Netherlands. He is back working towards full fitness and should be closer after the international break. That matters because United need authority at the back. They have looked uncertain in key moments and too reactive when under pressure. De Ligt may not solve every defensive issue, though experience and presence count in these situations. Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton remain longer-term absentees Manuel Ugarte is the straightforward one, even if it is the most serious. He suffered a torn ACL while on World Cup duty with Uruguay against Spain in June and underwent surgery. Recovery times for that type of injury are brutal and there is no shortcut. Early to mid-2027 is the working estimate, which tells you everything. Whether he plays this season remains doubtful. By the time he is fit, the squad picture could look very different. For now, he is simply out of the equation and United have to plan accordingly. Tom Heaton is also unavailable after suffering a hamstring injury following the pre-season friendly against Paris Saint-Germain in Sweden. As a third-choice goalkeeper behind Senne Lammens and Karl Darlow, he is not a decisive absence in football terms, but it still matters around the training ground and in squad depth. There is no firm return date attached, so for the moment he stays on the unavailable list. Fulham test carries weight for Manchester United There is a temptation in September to talk about patience, bedding-in periods and small sample sizes. Fine. Results still matter and performances matter more. United have had too many bad ones already. Carrick needs some injured players back, particularly Shaw in the short term and Amad Diallo soon after, but injuries do not explain everything. The Brighton defeat showed a side unable to manage momentum, unable to regain control and unable to defend a lead at Old Trafford. That is the real concern heading into Fulham. If Shaw makes it, it helps. If he does not, the same questions remain. When does this team start looking like it knows what it is doing? For now, the likely picture is this. Shaw has a chance for Fulham. Amad Diallo, Carlos Baleba and Matthijs de Ligt are more realistic for Tottenham after the break. Manuel Ugarte is out long term. Tom Heaton remains sidelined. None of that is ideal, though enough should be returning soon for Carrick to lose the excuse of a thin squad. And that is where this goes next. Injuries have hurt Manchester United, yes. Their football has hurt them more.