Manchester United Injury Updates Ahead of Premier League Opener

Manchester United are one week out from their Premier League opener at Hull, and Michael Carrick goes into the final pre-season friendly against AC Milan with one eye on the scoreboard and the other on the treatment room.

The football matters today. The fitness matters more.

Carrick’s squad has already taken a few heavy blows. Benjamin Sesko hasn’t played a single minute this summer as he nurses the shin problem that ended his season in May. Mason Mount, who limped off early against PSG, has now missed United’s last two friendlies. Behind them, a cluster of longer-term issues threatens to shape the early weeks of the campaign.

Here’s where United stand with seven days to go.

Matthijs de Ligt – back

De Ligt has not pulled on a United shirt in a competitive game since November. Back surgery ended his season and turned his summer into a rehabilitation programme.

There is progress. The defender is back working on grass and travelled with the squad to the Republic of Ireland for this week’s training camp, a visible presence around the group again. What there isn’t, yet, is a timeline. No firm date, no pencilled-in fixture.

For Hull, his status is simple: unavailable. Beyond that, United are still waiting for clarity.

Possible return date: Unknown

Tom Heaton – hamstring

Tom Heaton’s setback in Gothenburg against PSG initially looked harmless. He came off, Dermot Mee came on, and there was no real alarm on the touchline.

The scans told a different story.

As revealed in Notebook, Heaton will learn the full extent of the hamstring damage next weekend, but he is already braced for “at least a few weeks” out. It’s an awkward blow for Carrick, who leans on Heaton’s experience in a young dressing room.

Hull is out of the question. Everton, on September 6, is the earliest realistic target.

Possible return date: Everton, September 6

Mason Mount – foot

When Mount walked off less than 20 minutes into the PSG game, United feared the worst. A key midfielder, early in pre-season, leaving the pitch – it had all the hallmarks of a nightmare.

The immediate signs calmed the panic. Mount left the stadium on foot, no limp, no protective boot.

The story since then has been more frustrating than frightening. He missed the friendly against Leeds. He is not in the squad to face AC Milan. With both of United’s final two warm-up games gone, Carrick cannot realistically start him at Hull.

The hope is that he does at least make the travelling party and can offer something from the bench.

Possible return date: Hull, August 22

Benjamin Sesko – shin

Sesko’s last meaningful involvement came in early May, when he picked up a shin injury in the win over Liverpool. The plan, as outlined in Notebook earlier this summer, was for him to feature in one of United’s later pre-season fixtures.

That plan has already slipped.

His absence from the squad to face Milan confirms he won’t play any part in pre-season. Match sharpness has vanished, and with it, any realistic chance of starting the opener.

Bryan Mbeumo is effectively locked in to lead the line at Hull. For Sesko, even making the bench there looks optimistic. A place in the squad for the trip to Ipswich the following week now feels like the first attainable step.

Possible return date: Ipswich, August 30

Manuel Ugarte – knee ligament

Manuel Ugarte’s situation is on a different scale entirely.

The Uruguay midfielder suffered a serious knee ligament injury in June during his country’s World Cup defeat to Spain, leaving the pitch on a stretcher in one of the biggest games of his life. He later described it on social media as “the most serious injury a footballer can face” and admitted the manner of it would stay with him forever.

His words told the story of a player at rock bottom, determined to climb back.

United, and Ugarte himself, are in this for the long haul. His recovery stretches well beyond this season.

Possible return date: 2027

Karl Darlow – unspecified issue

Karl Darlow arrived at United already managing a pre-existing problem. The club does not consider it serious, but it has been enough to keep him out of every pre-season squad so far.

No alarm bells, just a slow, careful integration.

United expect him to be available once he has fully shaken off the issue, yet with no minutes under his belt this summer, his short-term role is limited.