Carrick Provides Injury Update Ahead of Hull Clash
Manchester United head to the MKM Stadium on Saturday lunchtime with Michael Carrick juggling a crowded treatment room and a few timely boosts before the Premier League curtain-raiser against Hull City.
A week on from that wild 4-2 defeat to Milan in Wroclaw, several of the absentees from Poland are edging back into view. Others are nowhere near.
Sesko finally back on the grass
The headline for United is up front. Benjamin Sesko, missing for the entirety of pre-season, is back in full training at Carrington and in contention for minutes.
The striker’s debut campaign was cut short in early May by a shin problem he had carried for months, playing through the pain until it flared up again in the win over Liverpool at Old Trafford. The club shut him down after that. This summer has been about healing, not headlines.
Now he’s rejoined the group.
“Ben [Sesko] is back training, so that's another positive,” Carrick confirmed on Thursday. “Looking forward to having him back around the group and getting him some minutes as well.”
For a side that has leaned heavily on his presence in the box, that is no small development.
Darlow closes in on debut as Heaton waits
At the other end of the pitch, the goalkeeping picture is shifting.
Karl Darlow, a summer signing who has yet to pull on a United shirt, has stepped up his recovery after surgery at the end of last season. He finished out his deal at Leeds United and still turned out for Wales in early June before the operation sidelined him.
With Radek Vitek gone to Middlesbrough and Tom Heaton also injured, Dermot Mee has recently been backing up Senne Lammens. That may not last.
“Karl has trained this week. He's back training, so he's in good shape,” Carrick said, hinting strongly that Darlow could be involved at Hull, most likely on the bench if cleared.
Heaton’s situation is less encouraging. The veteran picked up what looked like a minor issue against Paris Saint-Germain a fortnight ago, when Mee replaced him without much fuss. The problem has lingered and deepened.
This weekend is when United expect to learn the full extent of the damage, but the early indication is at least a few weeks out. Darlow’s timely return suddenly feels crucial.
Ugarte the long-term casualty
One player Carrick knows he will not be calling on for some time is Manuel Ugarte.
The midfielder suffered a knee ligament injury while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup this summer and has already undergone surgery. United described the operation as successful and made it clear he is now entering the rehab phase under the close eye of their medical and performance staff.
Ugarte’s own message was defiant. He thanked Uruguay, Manchester United, his family, friends and supporters for their backing and vowed: “I'll be back stronger.”
For now, he is the club’s only confirmed long-term absentee heading into the new campaign, but his absence leaves a sizeable hole in the middle of the pitch.
Mount ‘touch-and-go’ for Hull
Mason Mount sits in the grey area between risk and reward.
The midfielder has been out since limping off with a foot injury just 20 minutes into the 1-1 draw with PSG in Gothenburg earlier this month. Tyler Fletcher replaced him that night, and Mount has watched from the sidelines ever since.
United have shuffled through options in his absence. Andrey Santos started alongside Fletcher against Leeds, then Youri Tielemans came in to partner Santos last weekend.
Carrick hinted Mount is close, but not guaranteed, to feature at Hull.
“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,” he said.
A late decision looms. So does the temptation to hold him back with a long season stretching out in front of them.
De Ligt back training, but not yet back in action
At centre-back, there is cautious optimism around Matthijs de Ligt.
The Dutch defender has returned to training after back surgery earlier this year, a procedure that ruled him out of the final six months of last season. His last appearance came in late November; it will not be followed by an opening-day comeback.
“Matt [De Ligt] has obviously been out for a long period of time, but he's training and 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, to have him back.”
United will have to manage his reintegration carefully. The relief is that he is finally on the grass again.
United arrive in East Yorkshire with their squad in flux: a key striker back, a new goalkeeper close, a creator on the brink, a defensive pillar nearing a return, and a combative midfielder facing months of rehab.
The season starts now. How quickly this group gets fully fit may decide where it finishes.
