Carrick's Injury Boost for United's Season Opener at Hull
Manchester United will begin their 2026/27 Premier League campaign at Hull City with Michael Carrick buoyed by the sight of several key players finally stepping out of the treatment room – even if most of them are not quite ready to be thrown straight back in.
The United head coach delivered encouraging news on Benjamin Sesko, Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, but tempered it with a reminder of how long some of them have been missing.
Mount “touch-and-go” for Hull
Mount has been carefully handled through pre-season after picking up what Carrick described as a minor issue. United have chosen caution, and that patience is likely to cost him his place in the opening-day squad.
“We are managing Mason 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. “There's no drama. It's maybe, it's been a week or so, 10 days or whatever it's been. So it's nothing major.”
Mount missed training earlier in the week and, despite only a short spell on the sidelines, is expected to sit this one out as United look at the bigger picture of a long season rather than one game in August.
De Ligt back on the grass – but not in the squad
The sight of Matthijs de Ligt training again at Carrington offered a timely lift. The Dutch defender has been out for a “long period of time,” as Carrick put it, and his return to full sessions is one of the major positives of United’s week.
“Matthijs has obviously been out for a long period of time, but he's training, and it's great to have him back,” Carrick said. “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.”
The message is clear: United finally have their big centre-back back in the building, but the competitive comeback will have to wait.
Sesko steps up recovery
Up front, Sesko is also edging closer. The striker, who picked up his injury last season, has rejoined the main group and is now building towards match fitness.
“Ben is back training. So that's again another positive,” Carrick said. “Looking forward to having him back around the group and getting him some minutes as well.”
Whether those minutes come at Hull or slightly later in August remains to be seen, but United now have a pathway to reintegrate the forward into Carrick’s plans.
Mixed picture in goal and midfield
Summer signing Karl Darlow has shaken off his own knock and is back in training. He could take a place on the bench as cover, offering Carrick another option in goal.
Not everyone is so fortunate. Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton are both set to miss out, adding to a double-figure injury tally across the two squads for the opening weekend.
Hull hit by absences of their own
United are not the only ones juggling fitness concerns. Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic is expected to be without eight players, including four new signings, for the visit of Carrick’s side.
Jack Butland, Oscar Zambrano, Joe Gelhardt and Hidemasa Morita all carry problems into the new campaign. Morita has at least returned to training and could make his debut, but the more realistic target for the midfielder is the Carabao Cup next week rather than being rushed into league action.
So the season starts with promise, but also with caution. United’s bench at Hull may not yet show the full strength of Carrick’s squad – the real question is how different it will look once De Ligt, Sesko and Mount are fully unleashed.
